adders

hwange · #1 (**permalink**) 26-03-2011, 10:20 AM

hi all ,
is it too early yet for mating adders ? , yesterday morning i observed a lovely big female basking against a log , the wife and i watched her through the binoculars for some time as she slowly coiled round and flattened her body to catch as much sun as possible , then we saw another adder , i'm thinking it was a male , but not too sure as the colours were not so vibrant , but it seemed very active , flicking its tongue and moving over bracken and rough grass . I thought maybe hunting or searching for a female ?
cheers for any info ..

ViperaBerus · #2 (**permalink**) 26-03-2011, 07:20 PM

Some males will be starting to get excited now

Mollie king · #3 (**permalink**) 28-03-2011, 06:18 PM

I often watch the adders that live in a site not too far from my house, and I saw three yesterday, all out and active and thought the same thing, I got some pictures and am going to keep an eye out, hopefully they are on the rise at this site which would be wonderful as they dramatically disappeared a few years ago which upset me as they are by far my favourite british reptile, i'll upload some pics when i have enough good ones to share

hwange · #4 (**permalink**) 28-03-2011, 07:46 PM

yes Adders are definately my favourite reptile , although Grass Snakes are fascinating too , but Adders always send an almost primal thrill when you see one ,( must be an ancient fear hard-wired in our deepest brains ! ) .
I really want to see males dancing , i'm lucky in that the area i see them has good vantage points , but unlucky in that there are far too many dog walkers with unruly dogs off the lead charging all over the place ! things are really hotting up though ! happy adder spotting !

Mollie king · #5 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 12:04 PM

oh yeah...we have a bit of a problem with dogs in my spot too.... charging around almost ontop of the adders!
Happy hunting to you too! hope you get to see the dancing at some time, it's amazing!

ViperaBerus · #6 (**permalink**) 29-03-2011, 09:30 PM

The key to watching dancing adders is to sit in a known hotspot where adders bask and wait and wait and wait during a hot day around Easter time. They will race all around you and even approach you if you move. Thay are that eager. It's all about patience and that method will guarantee you several sightings during the season.