Vipera Berus (adders)

Testudo Man

Testudo Man

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954
Name
Paul
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Ive been following several colonies of adders(for approx 3 years now) which Ive photographed within 5 miles of my home (in Kent, south east England).

You could say that I have an interest in UK reptiles.

All of these photos were shot using either my FZ28, or my FZ45(bridge cameras).

When it comes to photographing adders, I do not touch/disturb the snakes at all. No snake shots are "set up", all my snakes shots are photographed as i find them (naturally).

Some adder pics, cheers.

Gravid female.


Female Adder, 21st-June-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Pair of Adders, female on left, male on right.


Adders, 27th-July-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Large female adder on a log pile.


Female Adder, 20th-August-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Nice shots well taken.
 
Really nice set. I like the last two. Great detail in the eyes
 
Fantastic shots of a subject that you obviously know very well. Thanks for sharing them
 
I think that taken 'just as you find them' does you great credit. These are really good images by someone who not only knows his subject, and obviously cares a great deal. Well done, and thanks for sharing.
 
pepi1967 said:
Nice shots well taken.
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Cheers.

Loopy said:
Really nice set. I like the last two. Great detail in the eyes
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Thanks, baby/neonate adders are really quite small, so it can be tough to take those kinds of shots.

Nitram said:
Fantastic shots of a subject that you obviously know very well. Thanks for sharing them
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Thanks, Ive spent some time observing these snakes.

braveboy2012 said:
Excellent set, thanks for sharing (y)
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Cheers for that.

Cichlid said:
I think that taken 'just as you find them' does you great credit. These are really good images by someone who not only knows his subject, and obviously cares a great deal. Well done, and thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for your comment, its appreciated.
Im pretty sure I could capture much better pleasing/photographic shots of these snakes, if i travelled down that road of "Set up/Handling" shooting style...But thats not for me. Besides, I suffer with Hay fever, so i could be a candidate for a bad reaction, if i got tagged/bitten by one of them. Plus i really want to keep their stress levels down(if i can) whilst getting close to them.
I do sometimes handle other UK reptiles, such as Common Lizards/Slow Worms, but not generally to "set up" shots.

Several more photos, cheers.

Whilst i was shooting pics of the older gravid female, a younger female joined her to bask together. The younger female was a nervous snake, so any noise/movement by me, and she was gone!


Female Adders, 24th-June-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

An adult male adder, which I found in the shade.


Male Adder, 15th-August-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Another photo of that nervous female, soon after i shot this, she took off fast into the woods.


Female Adder, 21st-June-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Beautiful shots. I wish someone had shot the little beggar that bit me last october :)
 
Great Paul....keep 'em coming!

Love that last shot and it has the adder added bonus of making my eyes go funny when I stare at the scales in the foreground! :nuts:
 
JakeT1992 said:
Some awesome shots! I'd love to find some Adders, or even Grass Snakes, never been lucky enough though!
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Thanks, given the right conditions, its quite easy to find UK reptiles. A good place to start, is ask dog walkers...because they are out in the countryside(all the time) so chances are, if anyone has seen reptiles, its them(y)

viv1969 said:
Beautiful shots. I wish someone had shot the little beggar that bit me last october :)
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Cheers, you must have entered into the snakes world (too close) to have been bitten? Most adders bite/strike, as a very last resort, although Ive come across aggressive snakes too, who will really want to "have a go", "straight off the bat".

Your adder bite sounds an interesting story, please pm me the details, if ya like(y)

StuartH said:
(y)Lovely shots Paul,very nice!
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Thanks, now I have a nikon, I should be able to capture some interesting shots this season(not that my bridge cameras didnt perform well) but Im looking forward to giving the nikon a proper field test. Because most of our reptiles were heading for hibernation, when i got the DSLR late last year. Although I did find/photograph a late juvenile common lizard, basking in mid November 2012!!

braveboy2012 said:
Great Paul....keep 'em coming!

Love that last shot and it has the adder added bonus of making my eyes go funny when I stare at the scales in the foreground! :nuts:
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Cheers, well you do know that snakes can be mesmerizing(y)



Baby/neonates at approx one month old.
In this shot, at 1st i thought i had found just the one snake, but it was one on top of the other. I dont know if anyone can sex an adder so young? but it appears to be possible male (above) possible female (underneath).


Baby Adders, 22nd-September-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

When the possible male adder moved off, he left behind the possible female adder, and what a beauty she was.


Baby Adder, 22nd-September-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Lovely set but as a snakophobe who also lives in Kent and manages to delude herself that adders live near her holiday place in the New Forest and nowhere else! definitely not kent!, I'm absolutely horrified.

Tell me that you're nowhere near Chislehurst!!
 
Great photo's Paul!

I've a country park near here which has a large number of Grass snakes, and a number of weekends during the year will be spent sitting and waiting for them before cursing the poor photo's afterwards :LOL:

I did spot my first ever live adder (neonate) last year at another country park about 35 miles away, although came up blank the second time I went looking there.

I plan to get a few more photo's this year, and if any of them are half as good as these, I'll be pretty happy (y)
 
Brillaint shots Paul and its great that you dont disturb them:)
Ive seen adders a few times but not managed a shot , they see me first:D
Am going to have a proper go at photgraphing them in the spring:)
 
Persephone said:
Lovely set but as a snakophobe who also lives in Kent and manages to delude herself that adders live near her holiday place in the New Forest and nowhere else! definitely not kent!, I'm absolutely horrified.

Tell me that you're nowhere near Chislehurst!!
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Thanks...and I will tell you, Im nowhere near Chislehurst, but all the same, chances are, there are probably adders near your area (y)

StuartH said:
More great pics!This is my cousin...she made full recovery.Was all over the news.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-leg-turns-black-bitten-adder-New-Forest.html
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Cheers, glad your cousin made a full recovery, looks like she had a bad time with her bite.
Many people try to "play down" adder bites/their venom etc...Best thing to do, is get to the hospital, quick!

AndrewA123 said:
Great photo's Paul!

I've a country park near here which has a large number of Grass snakes, and a number of weekends during the year will be spent sitting and waiting for them before cursing the poor photo's afterwards :LOL:

I did spot my first ever live adder (neonate) last year at another country park about 35 miles away, although came up blank the second time I went looking there.

I plan to get a few more photo's this year, and if any of them are half as good as these, I'll be pretty happy (y)
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Thanks very much, i will start looking for adders in the middle of this month(had my 1st adder sighting 16/2/12) last year, which was quite early (y)
Hope you find some this year yourself too.

LCPete said:
Brillaint shots Paul and its great that you dont disturb them:)
Ive seen adders a few times but not managed a shot , they see me first:D
Am going to have a proper go at photgraphing them in the spring:)
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Thanks, good luck in your searching...Sometimes, you hear them before you see them, what im suggesting here...is look with your ears (y)

WillNicholls said:
Great shots!
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Thanks.

In this shot, the size of the leaves(comparison) shows how small a baby/neonate adder is.



Baby Adder, 23rd-September-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Two males, found basking together.


Male Adders, 27th-Feb-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

A good size(chunky) adult male.


Male Adder, 4th-March-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

The elusive(Ive only ever seen him twice!!) Black/Melanistic adder.


Black Adder, 6th-of-May-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Cropped shot(to remove any unwanted background) of that stunning black/melanistic adder.


Black Adder, 17th-August-2011 by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Testudo Man said:
Thanks very much, i will start looking for adders in the middle of this month(had my 1st adder sighting 16/2/12) last year, which was quite early (y)
Hope you find some this year yourself too.
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Thanks, I doubt I'll get this month, but I'll certainly be looking start of March or so. It was nearer April my first grass snake last year but I understand Adders generally appear a week or two earlier.

The Melanistic adder is stunning. (y)
 
Interesting stuff and fascinating subjects.

I really like the Male Adder (4th March) with the head pointing directly at the camera and also the tight crop of the coiled melanistic Adder.
 
PSPDan said:
That melanistic adder is stunning!
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Cheers, he certainly is a stunner...but he is also a shy snake too, in the 3 years that Ive observed Area 1, Ive only seen him twice or possibly three times.

AndrewA123 said:
Thanks, I doubt I'll get this month, but I'll certainly be looking start of March or so. It was nearer April my first grass snake last year but I understand Adders generally appear a week or two earlier.

The Melanistic adder is stunning. (y)
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Both adders and grass snakes can be sighted in February or March, but it is more likely to see them towards April. The male adders will be seen 1st, then females will follow a couple of weeks later.
Good luck this year in sighting some UK reptiles, cheers.

dinners said:
Interesting stuff and fascinating subjects.

I really like the Male Adder (4th March) with the head pointing directly at the camera and also the tight crop of the coiled melanistic Adder.
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Thanks, in order to get the head on (low shots) you have to get down on the woodland floor! This is when care should be taken, because whilst shooting one adder, its possible another adder(or two) will be in the same area. Ive had this happen several times, and a couple of adders have moved close towards me, while Im laying down in the leaves.

Some more low shots!

This male adders mouth is open, because it just had its tongue out.


Male Adder, 1st-March-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Another male adder, showing breeding colours.


Male Adder, 6th-April-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Adult female adder(she had mated earlier in the day).


Female Adder, 1st-April-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

This male adder, is in shed/slough, hence the "blue eyes".


Male Adder, 14th-April-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
These are great shots - I really like the baby under the leaf but the last set of shots posted are brilliant too. I like that you were using a panasonic bridge camera too - I started out with an FZ8 which I still have a lot of love for!

I am trying to do a bit of a local wildlife project this year and I can't tell you how happy I'd be to find adders at my local wildlife reserve. Do you have any tips on looking them? I obviously wouldn't want to disturb them - but is there a good time of day I should be aiming for etc?
 
Daysleeper40 said:
These are great shots - I really like the baby under the leaf but the last set of shots posted are brilliant too. I like that you were using a panasonic bridge camera too - I started out with an FZ8 which I still have a lot of love for!

I am trying to do a bit of a local wildlife project this year and I can't tell you how happy I'd be to find adders at my local wildlife reserve. Do you have any tips on looking them? I obviously wouldn't want to disturb them - but is there a good time of day I should be aiming for etc?
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Cheers, the panasonic bridge camera range are pretty good (y)

Tips on looking for adders? Well, Im still relatively new to observing adders myself, although Ive crammed in a hell of a lot in the three years that Ive been doing this. They can be found at all times of the day, Ive seen a female out when it was past 7.30pm, in the summer. Too hot, and they will seek shelter/shade. The best time to see adders is early in the year, when they emerge from hibernation, and there is not a lot of high vegetation growth. March is a good month, at the start of march you will see males, and the end of march/april you will see the females.
Mating/copulation takes place in April/May, so that is another good time to sight adder activity, if your lucky you might see male adder dance/combat too (y)
Locate a known adder area, or even ask dog walkers if they have seen any(I always do this) because dog walkers generally do the same walk year after year.
Walk slowly, stopping periodically, dont just rely on your eyesight "Look with your ears"!! Ive heard snakes sometimes, way before Ive seen them.
9.00am to 11.00am is a great time to find them basking, they have to warm up first, in order to become active(hunting/mating).
After the mating season, most males(and the females that didnt mate) generally disperse, I find its only the mated females that stay in one area, because all of their energy is put into basking for their young/unborn.

Adders are creatures of habit, if you come across one basking, but it slithers off out of sight, have the patience to wait for awhile, because chances are, it will come back to the same spot(or very close by) to continue with basking.

As with any wild/venomous creatures, show respect, dont get too close, dont try to handle them, most adders will avoid contact, they prefer to flee...But some will show aggression...and some will strike/bite.

Hope this helps some, an good luck.

PS. Please dont ask me where I observe my adders though, because Im a little secretive on the matter (y)

Heres a shot I took last March, three for the price of one!


Three Male Adders, 18th-March-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Great shots, great subject, great knowledge.

Well done.

I got bit by a snake on a golf course (in the rough as usual). I felt the bite, jumped a little and swore alot, looked down and couldn't see anything, my ankle swelled like mad (i managed to finish the round of golf, 22 over) doctor said it was a snake bite. I never knew uk snakes bit until that point in my life.....
 
Love these shots, I think I would cack it if I came across these while out for a walk.

I'm guessing you know where they 'nest' if thats the correct term and just go back to the same area to picture them?
 
Fantastic set!, and very informative well done, I have only had the pleasure of coming across an adder in the wild once, that was when I was up at my caravan in Scotland, and sods law dictates I didn't have my camera on me at the time. Would love to capture some photos this year, but ibdont think we really get any around the midlands
 
Mardybum said:
Great shots, great subject, great knowledge.

Well done.

I got bit by a snake on a golf course (in the rough as usual). I felt the bite, jumped a little and swore alot, looked down and couldn't see anything, my ankle swelled like mad (i managed to finish the round of golf, 22 over) doctor said it was a snake bite. I never knew uk snakes bit until that point in my life.....
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Thanks for your comment, and bad luck on getting "tagged" by an adder...but at least you finished your round of golf (y)

Golf courses are a pretty good snake habitat.

Colin44 said:
Love these shots, I think I would cack it if I came across these while out for a walk.

I'm guessing you know where they 'nest' if thats the correct term and just go back to the same area to picture them?
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Cheers, as you say, once you become familiar with an active adder site, then by returning to the same area, you should be able to find a few snakes (y)

Thedodo said:
Fantastic set!, and very informative well done, I have only had the pleasure of coming across an adder in the wild once, that was when I was up at my caravan in Scotland, and sods law dictates I didn't have my camera on me at the time. Would love to capture some photos this year, but ibdont think we really get any around the midlands
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Thanks for that, sighting a snake up in Scotland was good.
You would be surprised in what areas of the country you will find adders, youve just got to get out there and have the patience to "find em".

Some more photos, these ones are all cropped to remove any background(apart from a blade of grass in the females shot! ;)).

Male adder.


Male Adder, 18th-March-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Young male adder.


Male Adder, 23rd-June-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Female adder(with that blade of grass!).


Female Adder, 19th-June-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr

Female adder(showing signs of having eaten her prey recently).


Close up of a female Adder. 21st-July-2012 by Testudo Man, on Flickr
 
Great photos! Wouldn't like to meet an Adder in shed though :D but it does make for a great shot
 
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