the online meeting place for all who love our amphibians and reptiles |
|
Nocturnal encounter |
Post Reply |
Author | |
Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: 24 Jul 2014 at 5:50pm |
Hi folks
Not sure if this observation is anything particularly unusual or not but i thought i'd post and find out since it's a first for me at least. Winding my way through the darkness of a serpentine country valley 'B' road last night around 10.15, i spotted a familiar shape in the headlights and broke the comfortable silence in the car with a sudden, excited shout: "There's a snake!". Before my partner could react, i pulled over, fled the car leaving the door hanging open, grabbed a torch from the boot and ran. All the while anxious that i needed to reach the animal before the next wheeled wildlife culler swung around the bend. Scanning the tarmac i soon found a Grass Snake alive and well but struggling just a little to gain purchase across the road. I took the snake back to my car to examine it - much to the delight of my snake-happy girlfriend! Mind you, she was more stoically accepting than delighted when it did it's thing all over her hands and the seats. Thankfully, the animal - a male - was uninjured. So i released it to safety before we headed off dreaming of air freshener and kitchen roll! I've not encountered a Grassie active after dark before. Does this occur much? I'm guessing the very warm conditions during the day allowed it to stay active for a little longer? Maybe it was a case of 'misadventure', the snake getting caught short of its refugium for some reason? Any thoughts/comments RobV/anyone? cheers |
|
GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
I've seen both grass snakes and adders active after dark.
An unexpected night time encounter like this must have been pretty exciting though and it's great to hear about! On the hottest days I think there is a distinct shift to late evening and early morning hunting sessions. I guess that late hunting sessions could be followed by night time movements back to a favoured refuge.
|
|
Robert V
Senior Member Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1264 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Hi Ben,
these bright nights are like dawn on darker spring nights and Grassies are always up at dawn if warm enough. My brothers chickens won't go down of a night and the cows in the back field ate bushes and grass all night last night while my window was open, chomp, chomp chomp!!! I think if we can see without a torch then so can they, again, if its warm enough, why not. Rob
|
|
RobV
|
|
Robert V
Senior Member Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1264 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
here they are!
|
|
RobV
|
|
AGILIS
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1689 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Well spotted Liz well worth a torch light search these hot evenings Keith
|
|
LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID
|
|
liamrussell
Senior Member Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Status: Offline Points: 100 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
I've seen grass snakes in ponds at night a couple of time when doing newt surveys
|
|
Chris Monk
Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 282 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Like Liam I have come across an active grass snake hunting amphibians at night whilst doing a torchlight survey near Doncaster for Pond Conservation. We were surveying great crested newts by torchlight on a warm night in early May along the margin of a large pond (~0.25 hectares) in a wood. Finding newts at regular intervals we then came upon a stretch of bank where the newts were absent before finding a grass snake near the bank. It swam away from us into the middle of the pond but we all kept track of it in the torchlight and despite being illuminated it then swam back towards us. After resuming the survey there was another blank stretch before the crested newts re-appeared. I am convinced they knew the snake was there and had moved away from that section of the pond.
|
|
Derbyshire Amphibian & Reptile Group www.derbyshirearg.co.uk |
|
Caleb
Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Status: Offline Points: 660 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
There was some discussion of this on the old forum:
As mentioned there, I've seen a grass snake once while torching for newts.
|
|
will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
I've also come across grass snakes swimming at night hunting newts - one pond in Epping Forest comes to mind as there were lots of GCN and several grass snakes swimming amongst the weed. There was also an article in an old BHS Bulletin about adders which were nocturnally active in the Durlston area near Swanage, I think, during unusually hot weather.
|
|
Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Thanks for all the replies and anecdotes everyone. Like Gemma, i love reading them too!
I'm guessing that Grassie night vision is a little better than our own then Rob? Only it was pretty dark - and in a shady valley. The snake looked like it had emerged from woodland and i would never have located it without my torch. |
|
Post Reply | |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |