SNAKES 😳

[Ladybird66]

Here I go again. The Sub Forum does only say Finds & Stories, no mention of what so apologies.
Just look what I found tonight (eyes only ) as it wasn’t healthy enough to move and I wasn’t sure of the ID I took a few pics. That’s my size 7 in the pic for sizing.
A bit different, hope you enjoy.

[Blackadder43]

Ooooh, what sort of snake is/was it?
Looks like its been in the wars a bit?

What number did it show up on the screens?...depth?....weather?.....
Nice walking shoes too, they look comfy
And size 7
Makes my size 12's look like flippers

[Sensorman]

Hi That’s a Grass Snake. Totally harmless.

[Oxgirl]

Poor thing, they are beautiful. We had a big one in our road a couple of years ago that had been run over. I was shocked how big it was and living in the village. They like eating toads I believe and our village has lots of those (of the hopping and human variety )

Good spot though, they are very well camouflaged

[TerraBritannia]

We have Adders on the common, which is a 2 minutes walk from our home. Last year our dog was bitten on the face by one of them, in February which was very early for them to be active. Thank goodness for pet insurance.

[Littleboot]

I remember a walk I went on a few years ago through a field that was notoriously boggy. Eventually I got out of the field and over the stile into the lane. i looked ahead about 40 yards and froze. i knew it was a snake. even though at that distance it could easily, and perhaps more probably, been a fallen branch. There was some kind of primeval signal to my brain which clicked in. I walked on and saw it was a dead female grass snake. About 4 feet long and a wonderful creature. sadly it had been run over.
The eyes are the clue to which snakes are dangerous in northern Europe. Round pupils for non-venomous and slits for adders.
We get quite big grass snakes here in France called Couleuvres ...they can be 7 feet long. They are the snake portrayed on chemists signs.
I sometimes see adders in the garden too. They are not aggressive but obviously they will bite if threatened or cornered. It is wise to have a stick in front of you and wear decent footwear when walking in long undergrowth. When i weed the garden i am careful not to put my hand where my eye can't.

[Ladybird66]

I thought it might be a subject of interest as I’ve seen a couple when out detecting. This one is indeed a grass snake but the first I’ve seen with white eye patches. The others have been yellow and I don’t think there were black spots along their bodies.
On closer examination I could see puncture marks on its body and given where it was lying I think it may have been picked up by a Buzzard and then dropped with its head just off the grass verge on the lane. It had then been run over leaving its head intact but flat.
I found a huge female on the horses muck pile years ago. John said she’d probably laid her eggs there for the heat from the manure. At the other extreme I found a baby in the garden. It was like a shoe lace but perfect. And yes, I too spotted an Adder in the wet part of the field, just once and never since. Hope not to again :
Just goes to show how much wild life there is around us but also how we need to be aware and careful.

[wittsy1]

My wife picked this one up in the garden

But not really, it belongs to a neighbour of ours

[Emily]

When I was a child I saw a little grass snake slithering down the road, so what did I do?? I picked it up, put it in my pocket and walked home to show my mum and dad. they freaked out and told me to release it into the garden. Babies.

[TheFenTiger]

You should see what they do with them in Manchester!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-54163293

I remember a good few years ago being in Thetford forest taking a short cut off a path and looking down to see what looked like a snakes nest. May not have been but there was definitely a lot of movement and I didn't hang around to see exactly what they were but it could have been an adders nest.

I also remember seeing a snake swimming along a river which is fascinating to see.

[Fisher 1266 X]

I was lucky to film the "Dance of the Adders" which is quite rare to see. Oddly enough, I saw it twice that day at different locations.

Here's a link to that video: https://youtu.be/V6rzRSterSI

As you'll see, they ended up scrapping on my boot!

[Ladybird66]

You should see what they do with them in Manchester!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-54163293

I remember a good few years ago being in Thetford forest taking a short cut off a path and looking down to see what looked like a snakes nest. May not have been but there was definitely a lot of movement and I didn't hang around to see exactly what they were but it could have been an adders nest.

I also remember seeing a snake swimming along a river which is fascinating to see.

It might not be an acceptable face covering but it sure would guarantee social distance

I found a grass snakes nest one day as I was walking the dogs. There was Mommy (?) and what looked like dozens of tiny babies wriggling around. I assumed they had just hatched. The next day there was no sign of any. Fascinating !

[Ladybird66]

I was lucky to film the "Dance of the Adders" which is quite rare to see. Oddly enough, I saw it twice that day at different locations.

Here's a link to that video: https://youtu.be/V6rzRSterSI

As you'll see, they ended up scrapping on my boot!

Just had a look Paul. That was a special few minuets not often seen. Left a message but repeat, a wildlife photographer could wait years to capture that. In the right place at the right time

[Saffron]

Several years back took horrid hound out for a walk and went down a hard surfaced footpath and smiled at him stradling a stick as he had his head in the long grass at the side. The smile suddenly departed my face as the "stick" slowly slithered in the grass!. Horrid hound never noticed!.

Many years back I visited a work colleague for a coffee. Her daughter, then in her late teens that I had not met previously then decided to fetch her pet snake down from upstairs to show me and proceeded to ask if I would like to hold it and stretched her arms out towards me. I think it rather suprised her when I said yes and happily took it, probably earnt me brownie points to as we have always got on well since.

A couple of years back returned home and had to step over a small grass snake that had decided that just by my door was a good place to have a rest.

Sadly like a lot of nature snakes are in decline, even an adder the only british poisinous snake will not hurt you unless it feels in danger, so if you see one just admire it and then leave it in peace.

Evan

[Littleboot]

I had an encounter with an adder when playing in the garden as a child of about 7. The bottom garden had a very dry place under the shade of an old sycamore when nothing was planted. (The 'bottom' garden was the veg plot etc) So i was playing in the dusty soil with my dinky toys (tom-boy me...the toys that got passed on to me by my elder brother were MUCH more interesting than the naff dolls and stuff I ended up saddled with. ) Anyway, loading the tip-up lorries with soil to construct a 'dam' for a project involving a bucket of water. I was squatting low in the dusty soil and looked up to see a snake about two feet from me. It had its head pulled back on itself and was coiled. i realise now it was in a defensive posture ready to strike if necessary. I got up and ran off to tell mum. She was having one of her everlasting conversations with Mrs Alcock at the gate. (She couldn't see where I was playing from there as the garden was very long.) Clearly she wasn't wanting to be knocked off her stride by me tugging her skirt for attention. 'But I've seen a snake! There is a snake in the garden!' I gabbled excitedly along those lines. I obviously thought these words would produce some dramatic response of shock and awe.... But mum shook me off saying: 'Don't be silly our Janet. Its only a worm."
I later found a picture in a book and discovered it was an adder...no question. Which explains why I hadn't seen it in the soil and leaf litter. I can still remember its shape coiled on itself as if it was yesterday. It seemed quite big to me then because I wasn't very big myself. If the snake had been aggressive it could easily have struck. It was actually simply frightened.