almost saw all 6 native reptiles in one day

[Vipera]

I had a fantastic day today in which my 2 friends and me explored 3 counties and found a reptile in each county, and if i had spotted a common lizard then i would have seen all 6 in one day.

We started of in west Sussex and saw a Adder and grass snake, then in Surrey we found a smooth snake, then Hampshire for a male sand lizard.
When we got home after dropping our friend off we checked an area nearby and found some slow worms, my other 2 friends did manage to see a few common lizards but i missed them.

There was one lizard that moved so fast that we could not make a positive id, it could have been a sand lizard (female) or a common lizard, because we couldn't be sure i cant say i saw all 6, only one of us managed to do that!

Despite being rather tired from all the walking i decided to cycle to a site about a mile away where i have seen common lizards before, but it was gone 6pm, the sun had gone behind a bank of clouds and it was pretty windy, all the felts were stone cold and i was thinking I'm not going to find anything in these conditions, but as i had cycled there i decided i had to at least try.

I did lift a few tins and felts and no surprise i didn't find any lizards, but, i did find one melanistic adder! so that took my adder count to 2!

We also found little chick on the ground which i want to identify, and a strange beetle which i have identified as a Minotaur beetle, we were trying to take pics but didn't want to disturb it to much, then we found out it was actually dead, which is s shame, but i was able to get a much better pic because i could place it in a better position for photos.

All in all a very enjoyable day and 5 out of 6 native reptiles isn't so bad!, cant forget the newts, we saw a few of those in a pond to so that's another herp found!

[Deb London]

Sounds like a fantastic day. Smooth Snakes and Sand Lizards - WOW!

[Wild-Woman]

The smooth snake is an amazing find.

[Vipera]

The Smooth snake didn't take much skill to find, it was under a tin, the real fun is finding them in the open, of all the smooth snakes i have seen i have only seen 1 in the open, and that was just a quick glimpse of it slithering of into the heather, still its always a pleasure to find them, no matter where they are found!
Here are my best photos from the day in order of which reptiles and amphibian were found.










(not sure if its a smooth or palmate newt)







Hope you enjoy the pics as much as i did taking them!

[Dorts]

What a superb day, never managed all snakes and lizards in a day, as like you, there's always one eludes you.
As you probably know Vipera, there's one area in N E Hants where with luck, you could find all Britains (classic) native snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and newts. Has it ever been done in a day? I very much doubt it, perhaps you could give it a go?
Dorts.

[JaySteel]

Fantastic achievement managing 5 out of 6. Not having a licence to look for sand lizards or slow worms myself means that I can only search for 4 of our native reptiles.
I did find all four on Sunday which was a first for me. I've never found a grass snake and an adder on the same site before yet alone under the same tin sharing it with several slow worms. I was also fortunate enough to photograph a melanistic example of an adder too that day.

Best regards,
Jason

[Vipera]

Hi Jason, you don't need a license to look for slow worms of course you realized that after you hit enter that you meant smooth snakes!
Although i have a license myself i think its a bit unfair that people like yourself who genuinely have an interest in our reptiles and wildlife in general cannot get to enjoy them all without risking prosecution.
I don't think that taking photos should be a criminal offense, handling and lifting refugia in a area known to be home to sand lizards and smooth snakes i can see why that's a no no, but its certainly ok for you to walk in the heaths where sand lizards and smooth snakes are found, and if you should be lucky enough to spot one whats to say you cant stop to take a pic.
I have never had someone approach me and ask to see my license although i did offer to show it to some police officers who stopped of by the side of a busy road to see what we were up to, i don't even think they knew that a license was required, we showed them some of the photos we had taken and when we told them about the adders that were just feet away they left rather promptly!

[Vipera]

Originally Posted by Dorts

What a superb day, never managed all snakes and lizards in a day, as like you, there's always one eludes you.
As you probably know Vipera, there's one area in N E Hants where with luck, you could find all Britains (classic) native snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and newts. Has it ever been done in a day? I very much doubt it, perhaps you could give it a go?
Dorts.

In Dorset I have managed all six natives and 2 aliens (wall and green lizard) plus i think my first GCN, although that could have been a different day.
I am sure someone has managed all native reptiles and amphibians in one day, even if its not at the same site.
We are planning a trip down to Dorset again in a few weeks time, and my goal is to get video footage of all 6 reptiles, and who knows might get some of the amphibians to!

[marvin]

hi

@vipera - nice pics of a great day...well done.

@jason - its a moot point but you are unlikely to need a license to photograph sand lizards and (i assume you meant) smooth snakes. you can't handle them though.

cheers
tim

sorry...posted this before i saw vipera's response

[JaySteel]

Yes, thanks guys. I should have read my reply before I posted it. I did of course mean smooth snakes and not slow worms. I actually found over 50 slow worms in about 20 minutes the other week including some very large and old looking blue-spotted males.

I've heard that smooth snakes are seldom found basking so being lucky enough to photograph one in this way is a one chance in a million I guess!
Photographing sand lizards could be achieved this way but I'd rather wait to accompany I licence holder and get the quality of shot that I'm after without fear of prosecution.

Wall and green lizards might have to be first on my list of targets to photograph as these are only afforded protection to the extent that I couldn't treat them with cruelty. Hopefully they'll receive the same degree of protection by the law as our native reptiles at some point in the future.

Originally Posted by Vipera

Although i have a license myself i think its a bit unfair that people like yourself who genuinely have an interest in our reptiles and wildlife in general cannot get to enjoy them all without risking prosecution.

I can fully understand the need for this law and support it totally. Since I've been doing reptile recording work I have been asked by someone (who I previously trusted) to show him where to find black adders as he knew where he could sell them! You need to be sure that only those who can be trusted get the privilege of interacting with our rarer reptiles. I'll get the opportunity one day.

Best regards,
Jason