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RAUK - Archived Forum - Looking for my first adder sighting

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Looking for my first adder sighting:

Author	Message
gordonendersby Member Joined: 06 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 6 View other posts by gordonendersby	Posted: 06 Jun 2005 Hi, Just seen a report on spotting adders in the wild on the bbc and it reminded me that Ive always wanted to see on in the wild. Had a search on the net and found this board. Looks like youve all been lucky enough to see them regularly and know where to look. Could anyone recommend anywhere near Croydon in Surrey where I would stand a chance to see one in the wild or should I look further afield? Thanks in advance. Gordon

Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar	Posted: 07 Jun 2005 Gordon, Adders are pretty widespread, although I usually see more on heathland habitat than elsewhere. Don't know the Croydon area too well now, moved away from that part of the world long ago, but I do know most of your open spaces have golf courses built on em ! You could try the Shoreham area, they certainally used to be about there. Adders are deaf, but will feel vibrations from your footsteps, so walk softly, with the sun behind you, scanning 15-20 feet ahead as you go, look for sun traps next to vegitation which they can flee into. Let us know how you get on ! Steve Langham - Chairman Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG).

Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi	Posted: 07 Jun 2005 Gordon Just to add to what Steve said really. Edges of paths or firebreaks where the adders like to lie with vegetation behind them to whip off into. You'll find they're often faithful to the same places year after year so set a visual marker e.g. level with a certain bush - and hopefully you'll see them regularly. There is plenty of good expert advice elsewhere on this site but when you've seen a few you'll build up your own judgement on what look like likely spots - although remember wild creatures don't follow rules. Dull days can be good for spotting adders as they are trying to warm up and will lie about longer than hot days. Having said that baking days can be just as successful! I see them on heaths in Devon and July is the month I am able to be out there more or less every day but I go at other times as well. You've got plenty of months left this season so good luck. Suz

gordonendersby Member Joined: 06 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 6 View other posts by gordonendersby	Posted: 08 Jun 2005 So I could see them practicaly anywhere? I thought there were regions of the south east that they could be found. I live in Selsdon in the Croydon area and we have the selsdon bird sanctuary behind the house. Am I likely to find them there? Its frequented by dog walkers and people out for a stroll. Is this a little too busy to find Adders? Should I be looking in less populated areas? I looked at the forrestry commision web site and they give a list of there sites and what can be found there. The site near Battle looks promising. But its quite a way to travel. I was hoping to start off with somewhere a bit closer to home. Gordon

saratoga Member Joined: 08 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 5 View other posts by saratoga	Posted: 08 Jun 2005 I too have been looking for my first adder. I arrived in the uk on monday night and by tuesday afternoon had seen 2 grass snakes and an adder.......i was pretty happy. Did some research on the net into adder habitat and where i might find them in the greater london area. Checked an area for some likely habitat that was only 1/2 hour from hackney and found what i thought were a few suitable places. Asking locals along the way...very few people had seen adders.....or hadnt seen one for years. Walking along a busy road i found my first adder not even 3m off the road....it caught my eye as it basked in a small patch of sunlight in a blackberry bush...........coouldnt believe i had seen one here when i wasnt looking at this time......this was just 70m up the road from a guy picking up rubbish who had never seen one!!! The area looked too disturbed for my liking but found a nearby area that looked ideal.......with some food in the way of lizards running around!! Found an adder skin in some bracken so the area looked promising. Returned this morning.......too late i think...around 10am.....and was lucy to see 2 baby adders no thicker than a pencil.....but very alert and moved off very quickly. Also found a skin off another large? adder. So i have been incredably lucky. What i would really like is to find one that i could get a good photo of......wass thnking if i went very early in the morning while it was still cool that maybe they would be basking more in the open.....does this sound reasonable.......how early does their activity commence.....does anyone know! And beffore they warm up i am sure they would bew alot less wary. Also im not too sure how big they get.....all this time i was looking for a bigger stockier snake. i know the lenght they grow to but about how thick.....as thick as a mans thumb or thicker? Where do they go when it gets too hot.....do they just curl up in a bush or go underground........i read that you dont see them when its hotter than 16degrees but what ive seen the last 2 days seems to differ. The 3 adders ive seen so far have all been brown in colour.......ive read that this is the female colouration......but is it also the colouration for juveniles? Any help with the questions would be greatly appreciated. greg wallis

saratoga Member Joined: 08 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 5 View other posts by saratoga	Posted: 12 Jun 2005 I was lucky enough to return to this site 2 days later...this time early morning and with some patchy sunlight........and 5 beautiful adult adders.....and a variety of colours...will post some photographs later. It had definately been too late in the day on my previous visits and too hot. Most of them were very wary.....the first 3 i saw were basking on top of logs amongst bracken and blackberry and slipped away very quietly. I also saw both a male and female(based on colour) basking within a metre of each other at different times. Was also surprised to revisit the basking sites after 20 mins and find the snakes out again. None of the snakes were out in the open and all could have very easily been missed. Like what everyone says....little patches of sunlight in areas which afford them protection. Unfortunately ive had to leave the uk now but am exstatic about my 4 day visit. I only dreamed of seeing an adder.....never really expecting to see one and to leave having seen 8 is fantastic.....though never got to see a slow worm apart from a squashed one on a track. Am very envious of you all having your little adder sites that you can go to year after year and watch the same adders and all their behaviours.....it would be a wonderful pastime. It is great to see many of you doing some great field observations. Is anyone working on captive breeding of adders with the idea of introducing offspring back into areas which have now lost their adders. would be nice to hear of some research in this area. cheers greg greg wallis

Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth	Posted: 14 Jun 2005 Hi Gordon Selsdon is not an area I really know. Historically they used to be found on the ridge at (I think its called) Addiscombe Heights which is pretty close to Selsdon. Lots of people there but they(the people) don't stray far from paths (or, indeed, the car parks!) so they(the adders!) could still be there. Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme

gordonendersby Member Joined: 06 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 6 View other posts by gordonendersby	Posted: 14 Jun 2005 Addington is only round the corner from me. I havent heard of addington heights though. But if I can find it Ill check it out and have a look. Thanks Gordon

Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth	Posted: 14 Jun 2005 Hi Gordon I have just checked with someone with local geographical (not herptetological) knowledge and they tell me it is Addington Hills - also apparently the same area or a continuation of it is called Shirley Heights - thus the confusion in my memory! Per Croydon's web site "Addington Hills is on a plateau of Blackheath Pebbles which has been colonized by heather with scattered groups of pines and mixed plantations" Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme

Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar	Posted: 14 Jun 2005 In case this helps.... Steve Langham - Chairman Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG).

Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar	Posted: 14 Jun 2005 I just had a quick look at the aerials in this area, and here are my suggestions for places to look on the composite map below. Pls bear in mind I don't know the area, I'm just doing initial analysis that I would do for any unknown site. The south east areas may be privately owned my the golf course, I can't tell for sure on the mapping. Looks like your weekend is sorted ! Steve Langham - Chairman Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG).

gordonendersby Member Joined: 06 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 6 View other posts by gordonendersby	Posted: 14 Jun 2005 Thanks, As soon as I get a chance Ill have a look and see what I find. Gordon

GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF	Posted: 14 Jun 2005 Hi Gordon, Birch/Bracken is a good habitat to check out in Surrey, I know a number of sites with good numbers in the county that could be loosely described as bracken slopes with surrounding birch woodland (this is in addition to heather/gorse heathland). If you can get a copy of Amphibians and Reptiles of Surrey ISBN 0952606569 it will give you some more pointers for good reptile sites. Beware though with this warm dry weather not much has been moving for the last week or so, I've not seen any adder out in the open in the SE for a while, though refugia might reveal them.. we need rain and lots of it followed by breaking sun, then for sure the naedre will be out and about again Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant

gordonendersby Member Joined: 06 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 6 View other posts by gordonendersby	Posted: 15 Jun 2005 Thanks, Ill check out that book. Gordon

gordonendersby Member Joined: 06 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 6 View other posts by gordonendersby	Posted: 15 Jun 2005 Here I am sitting in my office in central Londond and what do I see outside? The perfect weather for checking out that area. Weve had rain most of the morning, now its brilliant sunshine. Gordon

Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth	Posted: 15 Jun 2005 There you go - Murphy's law strikes again! As you say - perfect weather - I'm tripping over lizards in my garden! Don't you just hate us semi-retired oicks? Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme

GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF	Posted: 15 Jun 2005 [QUOTE=gordonendersby] Here I am sitting in my office in central Londond and what do I see outside? The perfect weather for checking out that area. Weve had rain most of the morning, now its brilliant sunshine. Gordon [/QUOTE] hmm, I had the pleasure of driving through the rain from Essex to Kent today, what a shame the conditions I was hoping for didn't come until I got back home to put my feet up, certainly brought out the lizards in our wildlife garden too Chris.. don't you just hate us semi-working herpetologists , still should have things moving nicely for tomorrow. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant

B Lewis Krag Committee Joined: 24 Aug 2004 No. of posts: 146 View other posts by B Lewis	Posted: 15 Jun 2005 Hi there, Yes I had a great time out looking for adders today... 3 in one of my survey sites including a gravid female, one just post-slough and one about to slough with cloudy eyes, of course I was snapping away with the camera.. On my second site, I was following up on a record I gathered some years ago. I re-visited over a year ago to find the Forest Enterprise had been doing some extensive clearing work and all the best areas were cleared or heavily damaged... However, visited today and the works have done a fantastic job and opened up some great glades with superb brush piles. Well done to them, I really had a good time. Found 2 females, one just sloughing with the 'zig-zag' pattern merged into a single stripe running 2/3 of the way down the body, nice animal. The other had obviously just fed and was really cranky, after a couple of strikes at me she managed to leave her fang out and of course I was on hand to take a picture of that as well... I am told this often happens in vipers but in another strike or two they soon retract it again.. Anyway, enough said.. Good luck with tomorrow. Weather does look good and I'm hoping to go looking for grass's... Brett Lewis Ecology Brett Lewis Photography Kent Reptile & Amphibian Group DICE - University of Kent

- Looking for my first adder sighting

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