# Melanistic Adder!! and others



## ForeverHams

I go down to a local nature reserve a fair bit to photograph the local wildlife... the nature reserve has one of the highest adder population densities that i know of in the area.

over the past 2 weeks i have seen 
38 Adders (although some repeat sightings i believe)
4 Grass Snakes
several Common lizards
and far too many slow worms to count!

I occaisionally go out with one of the wardens who runs the reptile monitoring scheme for the reserve and also do monitoring myself, a few weeks back i saw a melanistic adder disappearing into some undergrowth and was unable to photograph it, on discussing it with the warden he was somewhat sceptical of the presence of black adders as the nearest known location you can find them is some 20 miles away... however today....

I found this little chap, a lot smaller than the one i saw a few weeks back but none the less a Black Adder!! He was on top of a small mound with a brambles surrounding it in a very open position so i imagine he was stopping for a rest in between moving between the large patches of undergrowth. He obviously felt very insecure as everytime i moved he coiled into a strike position.. made for some cracking photographs but also meant i had to cut the viewing short to stop him getting stressed.

Absolutely stunning snake... they are incredibly beautiful animals and not the aggresive slimey monsters some make them out to be!

























You can see the full size versions on my flickr Flickr: AlexEames' Photostream

I also photographed this large female adder, one of the largest i've seen on the reserve at around 70cm's long, a very good size for an adder. Male reach around 60cm's and females being large can reach about 80cm's.

















Not going to keep this shot but it shows the classic adder pattern very well.









I did however make a mistake whilst photographing this little lady, i left my camera back on the ground a few feet away, so insetad of going for cover.. she went under my camera bag :roll:

Just before she went under









And under my bag... took a little bit of persuasion to get her to go into the undergrowth instead of my bag!










You can see the full size versions on my flickr Flickr: AlexEames' Photostream

Please remember if you see an adder don't pick it up, they arent aggressive animals and will always choose fright over fight! If you leave them alone they will leave you alone!

Alex


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## snakewhisperer

38 Adders! You must have been knee deep in 'em:lol2:
Thats fantastic even accounting for a few repeats, nice pics btw.


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## ForeverHams

Yeah its rare i go out and don't see snakes.. just been out earlier and saw a juvenile adder and 3/4 common lizards. will go out again in an hour or so for Adders as it seems to be the best time to see them.


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## andy2086

Wow that's one hell of a count! Well done!

The black adder is beautiful :no1:


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## jay-dee

no fair, i wanna see a real-life adder, seeing them on tv just aint the same :-(


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## excession

Wow, 

Fantastic photos!


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## manda88

Those pictures are stunning, what camera do you use? And if you don't mind me asking, which nature reserve is it that you go to?


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## xvickyx

WOW great photos


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## I am a scarecrow

Great pics!:no1:


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## Spuddy

damn, that melanistic one is a real beauty.


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## ForeverHams

Thanks for the kind comments



manda88 said:


> Those pictures are stunning, what camera do you use? And if you don't mind me asking, which nature reserve is it that you go to?


I took these with my Canon 40D + Tamron 90mm Macro lens

To the many people who have asked me where the reserve is, im afraid i am not willing to give this information out online(you will find this is common practise amongst people photographing herps as you simply don't know who you can trust online).

The nearest place to me i'd be happy to mention is Queen elizabeth country park, its a massive park and you couldnt possibly explore it all, even if you stayed for months. They do have a population of melanistic adders which they advertise openly.

That said, there is no need to travel long distances to see Adders, they are our most widespread reptile and can be found in scattered population pretty much every where... although i believe they are absent from parts of the midlands. i would try exploring any local heath or moorland and see what you find.. i wasnt told about the place i go.. i just happened to stumble across a few adders whilst photographing birds (trying to photograph stonechats) and decided to investigate further.

Best times to go out i've found at 6-9AM and 5-8pm the snakes seem to disappear during the times between although you still see them every now and then.

Morning is by far the best time, every adder in the area will be basking!

If you are lucky enough to come across adders or other animals for that matter please remember not to pick them up... you could damage the snake... or the snake could hurt you... even though at this point you probably deserved it... :lol2:


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## manda88

ForeverHams said:


> Thanks for the kind comments
> 
> 
> 
> I took these with my Canon 40D + Tamron 90mm Macro lens
> 
> To the many people who have asked me where the reserve is, im afraid i am not willing to give this information out online(you will find this is common practise amongst people photographing herps as you simply don't know who you can trust online).
> 
> The nearest place to me i'd be happy to mention is Queen elizabeth country park, its a massive park and you couldnt possibly explore it all, even if you stayed for months. They do have a population of melanistic adders which they advertise openly.
> 
> That said, there is no need to travel long distances to see Adders, they are our most widespread reptile and can be found in scattered population pretty much every where... although i believe they are absent from parts of the midlands. i would try exploring any local heath or moorland and see what you find.. i wasnt told about the place i go.. i just happened to stumble across a few adders whilst photographing birds (trying to photograph stonechats) and decided to investigate further.
> 
> Best times to go out i've found at 6-9AM and 5-8pm the snakes seem to disappear during the times between although you still see them every now and then.
> 
> Morning is by far the best time, every adder in the area will be basking!
> 
> If you are lucky enough to come across adders or other animals for that matter please remember not to pick them up... you could damage the snake... or the snake could hurt you... even though at this point you probably deserved it... :lol2:


My macro lens has to be one of the best things I've ever bought, love it! I'm not sure if there are any adders around where I am, I think it's a bit too rural, but my mum told me that she saw what she thinks was a grass snake the other day when she was walking the dog, so I went on the hunt! Needless to say I didn't find anything :lol2: The only wild snake I've ever seen was a very small black shiny snake in our garage when I was about 8 years old.


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## Robbie

ForeverHams said:


> I took these with my Canon 40D + Tamron 90mm Macro lens


Good choice  I've just replaced mine with a 550D. 



> Best times to go out i've found at 6-9AM and 5-8pm the snakes seem to disappear during the times between although you still see them every now and then.


Crepuscular or not, the buggers don't show face near as much up here! More often I'm taking pictures of Stoats!!


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## ForeverHams

Robbie said:


> Good choice  I've just replaced mine with a 550D.
> 
> 
> 
> Crepuscular or not, the buggers don't show face near as much up here! More often I'm taking pictures of Stoats!!


Stoats?? want to swap? :lol2:


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## Pimperella

Wow. That Black Adder is truely stunning.
Must have been a true pleasure to photograph. And certainly one of those days where you came home on a higher buzz than normal.

Really cracking shot and stunning snake.


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## Robbie

ForeverHams said:


> Stoats?? want to swap? :lol2:


Gladly!! :no1:


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## abadi

Beautifull!!! :no1:


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## Testudo Man

Just repeating what most have said here...great photos, and yes, the black adder is stunning: victory:


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## The Rook

brilliant shots & beautiful specimins


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## echis carinatus

*adders near basingstoke*

Hi,

There is a spot fairly close to Basingstoke which I've visited about 8 times in the last few weeks and on every occasion except 2 have seen both adders and grass snakes, even while visiting in the middle of the day.

I know that early morning is the best time to see snakes but was wondering fom other people's experience if the weather makes much difference at that time of day. Obviously I wouldn't expect to see them if it were cold and raining but does it have to be sunny or are they also visible during dull and overcast early morning sessions? 

Rgds
David


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## Natonstan

Wow amazing photo's I'm a little too far north to see that many native species, but thanks for sharing!


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## ForeverHams

echis carinatus said:


> Hi,
> 
> There is a spot fairly close to Basingstoke which I've visited about 8 times in the last few weeks and on every occasion except 2 have seen both adders and grass snakes, even while visiting in the middle of the day.
> 
> I know that early morning is the best time to see snakes but was wondering fom other people's experience if the weather makes much difference at that time of day. Obviously I wouldn't expect to see them if it were cold and raining but does it have to be sunny or are they also visible during dull and overcast early morning sessions?
> 
> Rgds
> David


I have seen them at all times of day although dawn and dusk are by far the best times.

I havent seen anything for the last week or so .. think its largely due to the rain... and then all the gravid females have disappeared to give birth in a week or so.. i can't wait to see all the neo's around before hibernation!

I saw a grass snake yesterday which i just happened to stumble across while looking for adders... unfortunately it had spotted me by the time i looked up and saw it crossing the path some 3/4 meters ahead of me.


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