Nice images and great to see, TFS
Thanks for that Gav.
These are great images , so nice to hear how much you respect your subjects . I know of two good Adder sites , I have been shown them twice at said sites , but can never find them on my own , I just don`t seem to have the eye for them , any tips ? I would also like to know what kit your using , for both these and your beautiful Butterfly images . I feel sorry for wildlife , if we really are to be hit by the nasty cold spell that`s being predicted .
Thanks for that.
Visit your 2 Adder sites, move very slowly as you search for them. When they are on the move, sometimes you can here them, before you see them! Even if its not blazing sunshine, once they emerge from hibernation, they should come out to bask daily if temps are approx 10+ celsius, anywhere from 10.00am onwards. March is a better month, its best to sight them before the vegetation starts to grow too thick/high. Come April, they will have starting sloughing/shedding their winter skin, males will compete for receptive females, fights are awsome to see...as in - "The Adder Dance", its not really a fight, the males just entwine with each other, see who is more dominant. Once the mating season is over, adders will disperse for hunting/feeding. The females that have mated (not every year) will spend the whole year basking (not feeding) an give birth to live babies in the autumn months. All other females that didnt mate, will hunt as the males do, so its harder to find them come Summer!...Hope this helps. Please be careful though, as you know these are protected venomous snakes, whist its extremely rare to get bitten...it could happen. Most are not hostile, but ive seen (in the hotter months) aggressive snakes...one large female i came across, thought she was a Cobra!! she raised herself right up off of the ground, hissed like hell at me (an i was nowhere near her) so i gave that snake a wide berth, left her to it, an moved on.
As for the kit, ssshhhhhhhhhhhh dont tell anyone, but these images in this thread were shot using a cheap old 12 MP bridge camera, with a Polaroid 500D close lens attached!!! But i normally use a MFT's camera, with a bridge camera alongside it, both will have Canon/Polaroid 500D/250D doublet achromatic close up lenses attached. Panny G80 last year, but ive just got a panny G9 and a Panny FZ1000 set for this year, so should be a great season for me, because the new kit should improve my images.
Great set Paul, you obviously know your subject well to be able to find them and photograph them so closely. I never knew Adders would be out this early I'll need to be more careful when I'm out on my Dartmoor Photowalks.
Thanks Paul, yes Adders can emerge quite early in the year...Ive spent many many hours/years observing several local colonies, which is a joy.
Unfortunately, adders are still persecuted, so its not unusual to find/hear of people killing them. School holidays are the worst...all those teens going into the woods...killing everything they come across. Thankfully the killing is rare...but in the last decade, adder numbers have seen a dramatic decline in the locations that i visit...loss of habitat is right up there too!!!
Cheers Paul.