Are Adders increasing?

[oxycera]

Anyone know whether Adders are becoming more common? Just read an article in the local newspaper about a dog being bitten by one in a local woodland (nr Barnsley, S.Yorkshire) where I wouldn't really have expected to encounter one. Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this.

[demicav]

Not sure if they are increasing but as far as I know there are a certain number of bites to dogs every year anyway. If anything I would think Adders will reduce in number due to loss of habitat. Adders are protected by law but unfortunately their homes are not. It's a terrible shame. I love them and enjoy watching them with my children regularly. They are not aggressive snakes and will only bite as a last resort, I'm able to get very close to them. In my opinion they're a beautiful creature that deserves respect.

[wildmanofthewoods]

Good question, i've bee pondering this one myself too. It used to be that the most common snake in the UK was the Grass Snake but now i think its the Adder. This maybe due to the Grass Snake declining or maybe not, i am seeing more Adders than ever before, maybe i'm just tuned in. This morning i was photographing them & saw 6 & like the previous poster i was able to get really close, about 10inches away, the snakes didn't seem to mind. I felt very priviledged to be sharing their space. Reptiles are animals that will benefit from climate change so good luck to them, .

[aeshna5]

As far as I know they are supposed to be declining nationally, but there may well be local trends that show the opposite!

[yellowhammer]

Adders have always been more common than grass snakes on a national level, although obviously it can differ at individual sites. Partly this is due to the greater range of the adder as it extends well into Scotland.

Perhaps they aren't increasing so much as becoming more obvious (maybe due to our expansion into their range and increased building up to the edge of suitable habitat), and becoming more popular as subjects for the amateur naturalist? Snakes aren't quite as victimised as they were even a few years ago, and the easy availability of information now makes them easier to find for those of us interested.

Certainly, when I was studying them as a boy it was looked upon as very strange but these days I end up giving mini-lectures to interested families!

[oxycera]

Thanks for the interesting replies. I think that I will have to be a little more aware when I'm creeping through the undergrowth looking for flies.

[mystictonka]

The MTAC survey shows that adders are in decline nationally, mainly down to us humans

[nightshade]

I think that people are better educated and look out for adders, where once they would have given them a wide birth.
Dogs are the usual bite victims as owners let them rush about,they come upon the basking snake suddenly and ellicit a reflex defence strike

[Digifrog]

Adders numbers are increasing!



I'll get me coat

[mystictonka]

The MTAC survey which is carried out every year by volunters has shown that the adder population is decreasing, the count numbers have been higher over the whole of the uk but over the past few years it has shown that more populations are being found due to people spending more time looking. Unfortunately this seemed all well & good at the time until it was noticed that the populations themselves were declining. I have 4 sites that I survey throughout the year & over the past 6 years the adders have declined by 30%. They are on forestry commission land & there has been a lot of tree felling lately, this wasnt the problem, it is a case that they need somewhere to park the heavy plant & lorries. Some of the areas that have been cleared have started to turn into scrub so hopefully in the next few years this wiil be colonised & the population will increase. If not in 20 years there will be no adders in my area