I came across the smallest Lizard I had ever seen, and took some shots of that, also there were plenty of Commas showing, and a few Brimstones flying past at speed. A pair of Buzzards flew overhead quite low down, and began to display , but like a fool I had forgotten I had the camera set to macro(no wonder it refused to focus!!!) so I missed a good opportunity there! A Mistle Thrush was seen, and a fair few Jays too, also Nuthatch and Green Woodpecker were heard.
On my way back, I did return to the very same spot that I sighted the female Adder, and sure enough she had moved to a different location, and was showing better. She was definitely on the small side, so chances are she was young.
A word of warning here, unlike the males who seem to tolerate having their photo taken, this female was feisty, and she even had a half hearted strike at me. So to anyone thinking of taking photos of these fantastic reptiles, please be extremely careful when doing so, and show both caution and respect at all times.
Something else to consider, is the fact the the temperature was higher than what it had been recently, so Adders will certainly be more active after having basked in hotter temps. for longer periods of time.
PS. Coming soon to a Blog near you :-) I had a fantastic time recently at my church patch, when I devoted an hour or more! to just photographing Nuthatches and their movements. I managed to capture some really nice photos. Nuthatches are truly wonderful birds, but are a pain in the backside to pin down, but I did just that, and more.
Some reptile photos then.
The female Adder at first glance.
Then on returning, I found she had moved further out into the open.
The young/juvi Common Lizard.
One of the many Commas.
And these seem to be popping up everywhere too, a Bee Fly.
Paul ,
ReplyDeleteWell done with finding and getting the female Adder shots . Some very good advice too .
A friend saw a female during the week , but I'm still waiting . Could this year be as good as last , when I got mating and combat ? We'll see . Re. your Black Adder , which I presume is the one near the Gillingham area , I have seen photos of it , but only got shots of one on a butterfly site in Sussex .
I look forward to your Nuthatch shots .
Great stuff Paul. Good advice re the female Adders......but chance would be a fine thing! Can't remember the last time I saw one.
ReplyDeleteHi Paul
ReplyDeleteWe come upon Adders when hiking ,whilst looking not to step in dog poo.A story:My cat was well relaxed on my lap stretched right out and purring.My brother received some artifacts from the Amazon region by post.He handed me a rattlesnake tail,which I rattled,the cat dug in all four sets of claws and took off across the room.I think they call it genetic memory.
Great Reptile photo's Paul, not many of them down here in the lowlands just below you :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Greenie, cheers for that, and Im sure you will find a female soon enough mate.
ReplyDeleteThis is only my 2nd year for looking/searching for Reptiles in the wild, so if like you, I could witness both combat and mating Adders, then I would consider that a privilege.
Yes your right, the black Adder reporting was from Gillingham.
Hi Phil, thanks mate, I have a feeling this year could be a good one for reptiles, and im sure you will see some soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Warren, Cheers, I'll swap you some of my high ground reptiles, for some of your lowland birds mate.
Hi Twisden, I should imagine hikers see quite a lot of Adders too.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great story about your cat, and interesting view on genetic memory