Female Adder

Mark_b · #11 (**permalink**) 16-09-2011, 09:28 PM

Could you speak to the land owners about getting your ARG on there doing some sensitive tree/scrub removal?

JaySteel · #12 (**permalink**) 18-09-2011, 05:38 PM

That might be a good idea Mark. I visited a different site today that usually has black adders. This is another site that I was introduced to by the KRAG. I was hugely disappointed when I got there today. The whole field is so ridiculously overgrown with weeds, nettles and brambles that many of the refugia couldn't be accessed at all. I spent some time locating the ones I could and clearing away the foliage that surrounded them. I found no adders there at all though today and that is a first for this site. I guess adders aren't going to use refugia that isn't getting any sunlight at all.

On the bright side . . . I did visit my local site on the way back and found this tiny little neonate under a tin. This has to be the smallest I've seen yet. I'd estimate its size to be no more than 14-15cm. I hope it survives its first winter being that small.

Best regards,
Jason

fairplay · #13 (**permalink**) 18-09-2011, 08:58 PM

I'm very surprised there are adders there at all !

Offer to clear some of the site yourself, get some bare soil showing and create basking areas. Some form of management is desperately needed.

Neil.

JaySteel · #14 (**permalink**) 19-09-2011, 03:59 PM

Hi Neil. I'm not sure that there are any adders still there. I didn't see any. I've just sent an email asking for permission to do some maintenance work on the site. I don't want to go interfering with a site that I don't have permission to work on. I'm hoping that this state of neglect is just a shortage of volunteers to do the work rather than a deliberate attempt to move the adders on.

Jason

GCN lova · #15 (**permalink**) 19-09-2011, 07:17 PM

nice pics, ive only seen one adder in my whole life which i saw at riverside country park as well as a pond full of grass snakes.

Dogghound · #16 (**permalink**) 20-09-2011, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaySteel

The whole field is so ridiculously overgrown with weeds, nettles and brambles that many of the refugia couldn't be accessed at all. I spent some time locating the ones I could and clearing away the foliage that surrounded them. I found no adders there at all though today and that is a first for this site. I guess adders aren't going to use refugia that isn't getting any sunlight at all.

How dense is the vegetation here? is there a lot of scrub development? Low vegetation like this in patchy areas are not detrimental as long as some basking areas do exist. Refugia within vegetation like nettles will still be used. Also this vegetation (a part from the bramble which is an issue) will die back in time for next years breeding season. It could be possible that they are present in small numbers, I have just finished a survey this week in which I found 1 adder on the last day under the last trap. If it had not been found then no mitigation would have occurred on that particular development. There is a very fine line at times.

JaySteel · #17 (**permalink**) 20-09-2011, 04:30 PM

The weeds and nettles are as tall as me in places and I'm 5ft 10". The brambles had grown completely over several of the refugia so they couldn't be lifted. I've cut much of this away from the ones that I could access. I think the vegetation is a good 2ft high over most if not all of the site. There are no areas of this field now that are bare apart from the paths that I've trod or cut away through the vegetation. I've been visiting this site for a couple of years now and the weeds were nothing like this last year.
I can see the nettles disappearing once winter arrives but there are brambles and small trees springing up and taking over that will need to be dealt with before the Spring.
Thankfully KRAG are now contacting the site owners to see if it would be possible for our members to do some clearance work on this site as an activity. I'd hate to see the site owners send in their guys with strimmers to clear the site especially if they went in before the reptiles have begun their winter hibernation.

Jason