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Early adders? |
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Suzi
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1025 |
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Posted: 10 Feb 2006 at 9:16am |
No I haven't seen any but was out on Aylesbeare Common for over an hour at midday looking. It was lovely and sunny but all ponds frozen and the ground frozen in places. No signs of any adders. I was looking for them lying out but understand this would be near hibernaculums at this time of year. Not sure where these are so perhaps wasting my time looking in their usual haunts.
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Suz
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administrator
Admin Group Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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Hi Suzi, the best way of locating hibernaculums is to.. eer find adders that are lying out at this time of year! Went round our local adder site yesterday, none out on a known hibernacula despite the sunny weather (often they are banks or otherwise prominent features.. sometimes they are not) . They'll be out within the next week I suspect as air temperatures rise. It's not a waste of time, it is easier to check known hibernation sites, but we can only find these by spending hours searching and seeing nothing at this time of year, just remember your not the only one daft enough to be out there and very often hibernation areas are not too far away from the usual haunts of females in particular. Still the sun has been lovely and at least we'll know when they do start to show that we are observing the early guys coming out of hibernation So who's going to be first with a piccy this year? |
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herpetologic2
Forum Coordinator Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1511 |
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Well Gemma I am already checking my known adder haunts to no avail though as the ground is still frozen at night - so the sun although warm takes a while to thaw the ice - fingers crossed I have seen adders out down in Southampton last year on the 20th February so in the next week I would have hopefully have seen my first male adders.... they are very easy to find down here as they tend to lay out in the grass at the base of trees and bushes....I need to get a private landowners permission to see the main areas for the adder which is outside of a SSSI... I am also working on three adder sites for my work so I may just have a chance of getting the first picture confidence thats what it is all about! Regards JC
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administrator
Admin Group Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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Well they are out! One day earlier than last year. 6 males at 13:40 in their usual spot at the local reserve I'm not allowed to mention. Very brief visit after abandoning shopping at Morissons to get camera and go when sun broke out in Essex this afternoon. Merv is complaining that he wants his dinner now, so I'll just post a quick piccy (the other piccies were not too good anyway, early season excitement led to severe camera shake and for some reason the subjects wouldn't sit still) Still nice to see them after the long winter, and at least one old friend was out from last year too
Edited by GemmaJF |
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herpetologic2
Forum Coordinator Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1511 |
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Gemma that is excellent news I will put the word out to other recorders in Essex to see if their adders are appearing aswell - Peldon, Mersea Island, Hadleigh Epping etc You have started off on a higher number than last year - which is good I think - 14th Feb - thats the earliest recorded so far in Essex isnt it? Jon |
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herpetologic2
Forum Coordinator Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1511 |
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I missed th opportunity to get out today I will definitely be out tomorrow...... JC |
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administrator
Admin Group Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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Hi Jon, this is my earliest record for Essex, last year was 15th February. This was a higher count, last year first sighting was of 3, all were mature adults today so I'm not sure if there is any significance in the numbers other than luck to find a good number out at the same time. I would probably have had more records but it really was a rushed trip to where I was mostly likely to find snakes before having to leave. Hopefully will have some from Kent in the next couple of days |
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Suzi
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1025 |
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Lucky you Gemma. I can't get out to the heath until the weekend. although we've had some sun here in East Devon today we also had some torrential rain and hail around lunchtime.
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Suz
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lucym
Member Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 31 |
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Hi, went to my fave patch today, camera in hand, full of hope of getting some Berus pics to share. nice and sunny here this morn, unfortunatly no luck again every time the wind blew it rustled the brown wintered fern, bit of a tired neck now from checking every noise. any one had more fruitfull results over the past few days. very envious of your early sighting Gemma Lucym |
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Vicar
Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1184 |
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Still nothing from my neck of the woods (Surrey/Hants. borders). Although this thing called 'work' keeps gettting in the way of likely days, and the weekends are cold, wet or snowy ! I think this weekend is likely to be a blow-out too....but you never know. It won't stop me looking |
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