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Adders 2011 |
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Mark_b
Senior Member Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 155 |
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Posted: 29 Oct 2011 at 10:12pm |
Gower, South Wales
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will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
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well done Mark - great late spot, especially given that she's an adult female. Which part of the country?
Cheers Will |
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Mark_b
Senior Member Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 155 |
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Last adders of the year? (28/10/11)
3 females, 2 males and one juv seen. Edited by Mark_b - 29 Oct 2011 at 10:14pm |
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kithara
Member Joined: 21 Sep 2011 Status: Offline Points: 19 |
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amazing animals.. am very exited i found this forum
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Caleb
Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Status: Offline Points: 660 |
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Oddly, my earliest adder was sat in the middle of a gravel track, about 10m from its hibernaculum. I haven't the faintest idea what it was up to, but it protested quite strongly when I moved it off the track (as it's used by quite a few Forestry Commission vehicles, also cyclists and walkers).
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Probably directly on top of hibernacula Suz, there is approximately a two week period whilst the male adders will sit directly on top of the hibernation site or very very nearby, returning to their winter quarters at night. Once you get an eye for hibernacula it isn't too difficult to pin them down. I've often walked onto a site and made a mental note of likely spots to be well rewarded the following spring. It's a bit like spotting reptiles, once you have seen a few they get easier to spot.
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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Yes Gemma I think doing the rounds of the spring/summer basking spots is not what I should be doing in Feb. I'm not sure of any hibernacula sites so I guess that is why I'm unlucky, as I read on here of people in the north seeing them early on, I guess near hibernacula.
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Suz
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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My mid-Feb adders always come from known hibernacula, that may be a factor Suz as they are animals that have only moved a few feet from their winter dens to the surface and I know exactly where to look. Target survey time is late morning/midday in mid-Feb, so quite out-of-line with what we normally expect to be a good time to take a look.
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Caleb
Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Status: Offline Points: 660 |
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Adders are occasionally out in February up here in Co. Durham- my earliest is 9th Feb, but I think other people have seen them even earlier.
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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I've tried many years to see adders in Feb. but no luck. I did think maybe here in East Devon we weren't an optimum place from a weather/temp angle but I don't think that can be the whole reason.
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Suz
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