Grass Snake Christmas eve !! - quite a surprise

[KFC]

Found this on my walk-round this morning 24th Dec.

Admitted it was dead so I'm assuming it had got warm enough to move but not feed and perished but still a surprise to find at this time of the year.

 

[Aled]

The hedgehogs are still very active in my neck of the woods, like snakes i thought they hibernated in winter.

Cheers

Aled

[Jega]

Hedghogs still out and about round here quite a few squirrels as well ,ridiculously mild for December .

[jason kaye]

Squirrels don't hibernate

[four-wheel-drive]

I saw a Large butterfly a day or so ago basking in the sun as for squirrels I have seen loads of them there was a bunch of about 4 scurrying around the base of a large tree.

Edited December 24, 2014 by four-wheel-drive

[Fisherman Mike]

Hedghogs still out and about round here quite a few squirrels as well ,ridiculously mild for December .

 

 

Would the grass snake have been flushed from deep underground by rising water levels...This is what usually happens...?

 

I've seen adders coaxed out in January because of this.

 

The changing seasons and variances in weather patterns of the last 20 years or so ( global warming if you subscribe to that theory ) has seen some remarkable sightings in our natural world..

 

Only two days ago we had a whitethroat on the Bird table and I've never heard of this before as they normally winter in Africa..perhaps it was a late fledging young un.

 

I called over to my Mums old house last week and a blackbird was nesting in the porch timbers and there were two eggs in it.

 

A couple of weeks ago I saw a Brimstone tricked out of slumber by the warm sun.

 

Worst of all the grass on my lawn needs cutting !

[Dougy]

Blue bottle flies, Peacock butter flies, gnats (or similar size) seen them all its certainly not been the norm.

[JDog]

This may explain on another thread the swelling on the sickly dogs face if an adder had come out of hibernation.

[BRYAN3]

KFC.

Put it in your pocket to warm up.

Could be interesting if its not really dead and comes to life.

[JDog]

KFC.

Put it in your pocket to warm up.

Could be interesting if its not really dead and comes to life.

 

Good point. I have seen grass snakes play dead when confronted by a dog. One even turned belly up with it's mouth wide open. When the dog was taken away the snake turned over and slithered away.

[lockstockandbarrel]

Amazes me how these things manage to survive through the winter.

[KFC]

KFC.

Put it in your pocket to warm up.

Could be interesting if its not really dead and comes to life.

Could give my wife a bit of a shock too :lol:

[mel b3]

myself and another pw member were out lamping last night , at around midnight we both commented that it was like a mild summer evening .

i was also watching pigeons getting jiggy on my fence yesterday morning .

the seasons are certainly getting very mixed up.

[Imperfection]

Oddly,i saw a hedgehog while walking my dogs at 2.30am this morning and i also thought the little fella should be hibernating.

 

Grass snakes though-used to catch them when we were kids.When you pick them up and they get upset they secrete a foul smelling substance from their scales which is blooming hard to wash off. Used to catch them while they're basking on corrugated steel sheets in the morning at the nearby sand & gravel quarry.

[Fisherman Mike]

Good point. I have seen grass snakes play dead when confronted by a dog. One even turned belly up with it's mouth wide open. When the dog was taken away the snake turned over and slithered away.

Quite right..playing possum is their main means of defence when confronted by a larger predator.