Hi peeps,
I've not posted here before, but this looks to be a good place to ask questions!
To give a quick over view, I love snakes! When I was a young lad (and I'm still young, well, in mind anyway), I used to stay with my Aunt. She had Heathland to the top end of her garden, and wetland at the bottom. So I'd go on hunts for grass snakes, and adders. I'd find them on almost every visit, oh, and we mustn't forget the slow worms in the compost heep!!
So that's it, my love of snakes was born.
A few years back now, when my little lad was just a few months old. His Mum and I where out walking, just to the south of Cranleigh in Surrey. We where walking paralell to an old railway cutting (the Downslink) along the edge of a field, when my lads Mum screamed 'errrrrrr snakes, get them away from me', as you can tell, this was a momentous occasion!!
My lads Mum (now ex), ran with my son in his push chair for at least 100 metres. In the meantime, I was in absolute awe as just to the side of me in the undergrowth where no less than 6 Grass snakes wriggling around together. They didn't appear to be mating. I got the impression that they where probably congregating in preperation for hibernation (it was mid to late September).
All I can say is that to this day, it stands as one of the most fantastic wildlife (reptile) experiences I've had. I just wonder whether anyone else out there in wildlife world has ever experienced something comparable?
Anyway, sorry to waffle on a bit, I'm told I'm good at waffling...
The Snake