mossy835 Posted April 21, 2019 Report Share Posted April 21, 2019 walking the dog this afternoon on one o my farms,i saw a snake.it had its head gone but the rest was there it was one inch round,about 3 ft long i take it was a grass snake.never had the looks of a adder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted April 21, 2019 Report Share Posted April 21, 2019 Saw a beautiful Adder yesterday. Love to see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted April 21, 2019 Report Share Posted April 21, 2019 We have a very large area for adders and grass snakes. It's an area of old mine (lead) extraction now grassed over. There are literally hundreds of adders if you look carefully. Not a good place to walk the dog with this warm weather. Occasionally I see them and grass snakes in the garden here but I think the local shoot means that the population is kept in check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPhantom Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 1 hour ago, oowee said: Occasionally I see them and grass snakes in the garden here but I think the local shoot means that the population is kept in check. Both are protected! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 6 hours ago, MrPhantom said: Both are protected! Not from pheasant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 13 hours ago, mossy835 said: walking the dog this afternoon on one o my farms,i saw a snake.it had its head gone but the rest was there it was one inch round,about 3 ft long i take it was a grass snake.never had the looks of a adder. Strangely enough I saw a Grass Snake in exactly the same condition the other day , the one I saw was about two feet long and was in a striking position minus it's head. What would have just removed it's head ?, Stoat , Weasel ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPhantom Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 1 hour ago, oowee said: Not from pheasant. I genuinely did not know that! Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 I do the adder surveys here and a big issue is pheasant predation. The scaly legs protect the birds and prior to dispersal the snakes are concentrated and coming out of hubernation very vulnerable. Also the young snakes are out when there are high concentrations of pheasant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundodger Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Al 4 hours ago, oowee said: I do the adder surveys here and a big issue is pheasant predation. The scaly legs protect the birds and prior to dispersal the snakes are concentrated and coming out of hubernation very vulnerable. Also the young snakes are out when there are high concentrations of pheasant. pheasants should be shot all year round, they are a blooody nuisance to the native wild life. They will eat just about anything from newts frogs 🐸 lizards and young snakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 43 minutes ago, Sundodger said: Al pheasants should be shot all year round, they are a blooody nuisance to the native wild life. They will eat just about anything from newts frogs 🐸 lizards and young snakes. Chickens aren't much different, I'm sure mine would eat me if they were big enough. As a general rule I've found if they can get hold of it and its organic, they will eat it. Frogs, sparrows, small lizards, mice, anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenholland Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 I remember a fare few years ago , over bewdley way the working party were having there break from release pen work , on a sandy clump of grass when we realised we were sitting amongst baby adders that were sunning them selves , that was a short break to say the least , lots of adders round there , one dog got bit on the nose , took him to local vet he recovered o k . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer425 Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 3 hours ago, GingerCat said: Chickens aren't much different, I'm sure mine would eat me if they were big enough. As a general rule I've found if they can get hold of it and its organic, they will eat it. Frogs, sparrows, small lizards, mice, anything. Too Right . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchrat Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 10 hours ago, marsh man said: Strangely enough I saw a Grass Snake in exactly the same condition the other day , the one I saw was about two feet long and was in a striking position minus it's head. What would have just removed it's head ?, Stoat , Weasel ? Maybe a 9-iron.... Out here in Canada I've seen wild turkeys kill and eat garter snakes, about 3ft long. In Alberta, they have rattlers, you have to be a bit careful in long brush when hunting Sharp Tailed Grouse! My "better half" got the classic warning from a 5-footer, it worked well, one squeak and a 6-foot backwards leap from a standing start and all was well (New Olympic sport?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Anyone who kills a snake in the UK is an imbecile. I have seen keepers and beaters kill adders on grouse moors and I have remonstrated with them very strongly. Sadly they feel that the only good adder is a dead one. I came across a gardener two years ago digging up the remains of a compost heap and trying to kill the grass snakes which lived underneath the compost. He railed from my verbal onslaught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 not really fussed with snakes...........its nice to know our specis is still there....................what does worry me is what i saw 5 years ago on a hot summers day in my garden.........a long lime green thin snake about 5 or 6 ft long slither across the garden...so i rushed round to the hedge the other side to see it shoot across the road and away.... now that wernt an adder !........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12gauge82 Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 10 minutes ago, ditchman said: not really fussed with snakes...........its nice to know our specis is still there....................what does worry me is what i saw 5 years ago on a hot summers day in my garden.........a long lime green thin snake about 5 or 6 ft long slither across the garden...so i rushed round to the hedge the other side to see it shoot across the road and away.... now that wernt an adder !........ 🤔 Grass snakes grow to about 3ft maybe 4 at a push, but 5 or 6, anaconda? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 21 minutes ago, ditchman said: not really fussed with snakes...........its nice to know our specis is still there....................what does worry me is what i saw 5 years ago on a hot summers day in my garden.........a long lime green thin snake about 5 or 6 ft long slither across the garden...so i rushed round to the hedge the other side to see it shoot across the road and away.... now that wernt an adder !........ green mamba, one bite and you have 20 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 7 minutes ago, billytheghillie said: green mamba, one bite and you have 20 minutes. i can do a lot in 20 mins............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 aye so fat sarah told me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gustaff Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 blooming adders make a mess of a spaniels nose and heads when bitten i hate the things and are cropping up all over in spots never seen before. had some savage vet bills because of the blooming things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 1 hour ago, ditchman said: not really fussed with snakes...........its nice to know our specis is still there....................what does worry me is what i saw 5 years ago on a hot summers day in my garden.........a long lime green thin snake about 5 or 6 ft long slither across the garden...so i rushed round to the hedge the other side to see it shoot across the road and away.... now that wernt an adder !........ Was that after you drunk a bottle of the finest nectar from the hardware shop in Brundall ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 try to have a serious conversation...............i give up .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph5172 Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 4 minutes ago, ditchman said: try to have a serious conversation...............i give up .. In my youth we used to go searching for adders in Winterton - them and unexploded mines, but that’s a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 2 hours ago, JDog said: Anyone who kills a snake in the UK is an imbecile. I have seen keepers and beaters kill adders on grouse moors and I have remonstrated with them very strongly. Sadly they feel that the only good adder is a dead one. I came across a gardener two years ago digging up the remains of a compost heap and trying to kill the grass snakes which lived underneath the compost. He railed from my verbal onslaught. Good for you. I could do with some grass snakes round here. And some hedgehogs. Why anyone would kill one is beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strimmer_13 Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 I've activly searched for the things from Pembrokeshire to arne (where I am today and had sand lizards around my table all day) and never seen an alive one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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