Grass snakes in Yorkshire

GFM · #1 (**permalink**) 16-07-2010, 08:45 AM

After a lifetime of never seeing a grass snake, I then found the great Wild about Brit website last year. After reading the forums I noticed that Sprotbrough near Doncaster seemed to be a good bet. I went there last year and fantastically saw a Grass Snake swimming.
Yesterday I returned to exactly the same location and saw what appeared to be a fairly young Grass snake curled up, I watched it as it moved around for over 20 mins- brilliant. I'll sort the pictures out and add them to this thread.
This site and the forums is such a great help to allow people who are geuinely interested in wildlife to be able to seek out the creatures you really want to see for yourself. I must try and follow up the Purple Emperor Butterfly sites and try and visit one of them this summer and one day I'll get back down to Dorset and finally try and see a Smooth Snake, these are my next 2 main aims!

GFM · #2 (**permalink**) 17-07-2010, 05:47 PM

How do I add my photos to this thread?

shenk1 · #3 (**permalink**) 17-07-2010, 05:56 PM

Resize to about 1000 pix longest side

Click on Images (top line of page)

Click upload pictures and pick category.

After they have been processed (in library almost immediately) when replying to thread click on Library Images - click on image to add(it adds code to reply) then press post reply.

Thats the way I do it

Hope this helps,shenk1

P.S. To put better pictures in the Gallery has more rules - click Gallery at the top and follow those guidelines.

posie · #4 (**permalink**) 17-07-2010, 10:38 PM

Hello, I hope you don't mind me using your grass snake thread for my post...last evening I saw in the road outside my house, a dead roadkill sparrow,(squashed,) it was only about 2 feet from the verge, and between the sparrow and the verge was a (sadly) dead female fully grown grass snake. She was not squashed, but had a slight graze down her back from 3 inches down from her head, the length of the graze being about the width of a small car tyre. She is so beautiful, and my friend who teaches small children, is going to take it to school to show them, then her own children ages 4,7 and 9, will bury it in the garden. It was such a shame that such a beautiful creature lost it's life in this way, that is if I am right in my assumption that she was investigating the dead bird for food. Shame about the sparrow as well, it was very squashed....Posie..

Yashca · #5 (**permalink**) 18-07-2010, 05:34 PM

I don't suppose youre friendwould be interested in cutting off its head and sending it to me would they? I'd love to have a reptile skull for my collection.

posie · #6 (**permalink**) 18-07-2010, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yashca

I don't suppose youre friendwould be interested in cutting off its head and sending it to me would they? I'd love to have a reptile skull for my collection.

Hi Yashca, I will do my best for you, it has been given to her oldest boy who was awestruck with it. Apparantly the school don't allow such things to be taken into school...(fear of disease..

), so I will find out for you tomorrow as my friend goes to bed early..keep your fingers crossed..I would be interested to know what you have in your collection, also perhaps you could start a thread..'What do you have in your wildlife collection?'...Posie..

posie · #7 (**permalink**) 19-07-2010, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yashca

I don't suppose youre friendwould be interested in cutting off its head and sending it to me would they? I'd love to have a reptile skull for my collection.

Hi Yashca, I'v arranged to have snake back, will get head cut off and will send to you. Don't put your address on here but I think it would be ok to PM it to me, or Email. It'll be pretty smelly by the time you get it, as it died Friday and has not been refrigerated, so should I put anything on it, or just seal it in a plastic bag, and then packet it? As you can tell I'v not done this before, horse's head in the bed, yes, but snakes head in post, no..

I'll await your message..Posie..

p.s. there may have already been a 'collection' thread, could be brought forward.....

SEE 'Slightly Morbid Quiz,,Name That Skull' thread, there is an interesting link on post no.21....Posie.

posie · #8 (**permalink**) 19-07-2010, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GFM

After a lifetime of never seeing a grass snake, I then found the great Wild about Brit website last year. After reading the forums I noticed that Sprotbrough near Doncaster seemed to be a good bet. I went there last year and fantastically saw a Grass Snake swimming.
Yesterday I returned to exactly the same location and saw what appeared to be a fairly young Grass snake curled up, I watched it as it moved around for over 20 mins- brilliant. I'll sort the pictures out and add them to this thread.
This site and the forums is such a great help to allow people who are geuinely interested in wildlife to be able to seek out the creatures you really want to see for yourself. I must try and follow up the Purple Emperor Butterfly sites and try and visit one of them this summer and one day I'll get back down to Dorset and finally try and see a Smooth Snake, these are my next 2 main aims!

Hi GFM, I'm so sorry I have invaded your thread, grass snakes are beautiful, I have had baby ones starting their life in a shavings dung-heap in the yard, one took up residence in my mare's stable, made it difficult cleaning out the stable for fear of hurting it, but it went after a while. Also found one caught in the chicken wire, was obviously after the eggs, I cut the wire to get it out, it had woven in and out of the wire. It had a minor injury which I sprayed with medication, and it went on it's way. Good Luck with sighting the Smooth Snakes..again apologies...Posie..

posie · #9 (**permalink**) 19-07-2010, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yashca

I don't suppose youre friendwould be interested in cutting off its head and sending it to me would they? I'd love to have a reptile skull for my collection.

Right Yashca, I got someone to dig up the interred snake, the kids had got their grand-dad to take it over to his smallholding and bury it..now I must find someone to cut it's head off, cos I'm not sure I can do that..then....where do I send it.?.I haven't heard from you..if you don't soon reply it could end up on Ebay

...Posie..

Liz Reeve · #10 (**permalink**) 11-09-2010, 01:12 PM

We seem to have a few grass snakes around at the moment. I live at Lower Sprotborough in South Yorkshire where we have this week found eggs in the compost heap and a young one in the back yard. In fact they've been around quite a bit this summer. In 2008 we found one in a seed tray in the greenhouse. I've put pictures on the WAB members Gallery today.