Adder in the hills

[w00dsmoke]

After meeting up with woodsman at a local archaelogy event up in our local hills where we were both demonstrating we decided to go for a wander the next day to catch up, chat and have a look for our local adders.

It was overcast but warm and the clouds soon dispersed. The view across to Ben Lomond was terrific. The small glen on the right is where we walked down to have an explore. There's ancient burial cairns nearby and lots of oak, hazel, willow, holly and birch making it feel like a very special and interesting place.

Woodsman saw my dog away in the distance sniffing an adder's tail , the poor adder was just lying on a sunny bank sunbathing and got the fright of it's life and off it went at one heck of a pace!

Off into the rough stuff to hide!

This has been a great year for adder sightings, long may it continue...enjoy!

 

[nicodiemus]

Marvellous.

 

[dwardo]

I think adders are great
Still yet to see one that wasnt deed

 

[Toddy]

You've had a good weekend of it, haven't you ?

Cracking photos

cheers,
M

 

[Shewie]

Good stuff WS

I've never seen one alive either

 

[w00dsmoke]

You've had a good weekend of it, haven't you ?

Cracking photos

cheers,
M

Aye fantastic Mary! Enjoy it while you can and when you can!

You can't beat special places especially with good folk around you!

 

[BorderReiver]

Great pictures, thank you.

How long, roughly, was the adder?

 

[w00dsmoke]

Great pictures, thank you.

How long, roughly, was the adder?

About a couple of feet. It's the longest one I've seen. This is a female and they are larger than the males.

 

[spamel]

Cool! I've never seen an adder in the wild, I'm hoping this comment will come back to haunt me in a few days! Reason being, I was at the Penistone Show at the weekend and got chatting to a fellah who makes walking sticks about this and that and he mentioned foxes. I haven't seen a fox around here for over a year and I do quite a bit of shooting around dusk and after dark in a semi rural area. That night, I went shooting with Scruff and there was a fox about twenty yards away from us! I also mentioned to one of the falconry guys tht we never see buzzards around here and I saw three yesterday! I'll wake up tomorrow and there'll be an adder in my sock drawer!

 

[w00dsmoke]

Spamel, next time you are up in Scotland and you are passing Dumbartonshire (around Apri/May time next year is your best bet), give me a shout and I'll take you over to see them.

WS

 

[spamel]

Next time? I've never been! That's pretty sad, isn't it? I need to get north soon, I've always found the Scots to be a pretty friendly bunch. Sure, there are the odd few Neds that spoil it for the majority but you get that everywhere! When I do get up, I'll take you up on that offer, I've seen lizards around where I live but no snakes at all. I once saw a grass snake in Poole when I was about 10.

 

[Shewie]

About a couple of feet. It's the longest one I've seen. This is a female and they are larger than the males.

I always thought they were big 8ft monsters until I saw a stuffed one at Harewood House on a school trip. It was probably the thing of they're the only venomous snake on our island and so you think to compare them to the big nasties in the jungle etc.

 

[gsfgaz]

exellent fotees..

 

[trewornan]

they're the only venomous snake on our island and so you think to compare them to the big nasties in the jungle etc.

Don't underestimate adders - a friend of mine got bitten on the ankle once and was in hospital almost a week and not fully recovered a month later. It's not like a bee sting. Beautiful animals though - last time I saw one was near Poole.

 

[Night Phoenix]

Beautifull, looks like a lovely healthy female adder (they tend to be more Golden than the males)

 

[JonathanD]

You tend to see the majority of females about this time of year as they make their way back to the hibernacula sights to give birth, and bask more often and for longer. They will also be out and about hunting more after giving birth to build up the body fat they have lost during gestation.

Heres one of the tiny neonates that is only about one week old, just five inches long, he's sooo cute. Taken yesterday morning.

 

[maddave]

Great stuff !!!

 

[Tony]

we used to catch them when i was a kid up Hengistbury Head in Dorset, it was my local playground and you soon got used to seeing them about, there was one are that was hard to et to because of loads of old trenches (i heard they were from the war) but if you could get past them you could always find adders.

Seeing those pics bring back fond memories, that's a lovely snake

 

[Grooveski]

Cracking photos woodsmoke.

We had one at camp at the weekend. Spent most of saturday basking on a gorse branch.

 

[Logit]

lovely photos, i just dont think i could stand still enough if i came across a snake...!