Seen a snake

[Maydup]

We live on a narrow south facing lane and as I left in the car this morning I saw a snake on the tarmac basking in the sun. It slithered off as I approached and away into the long grass, but I feel very privilaged to have shared the sunny moment with it!

It looked like a young one; a reasonable length grass snake but quite thin still. I've seen one before a couple of years ago in almost the same spot on the road. Is a sunny morning the most likely time to spot them? I'd love to see them more often.

[Buenchico]

Bill Oddie talks about finding grass snakes in this video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/.../Grass_Snake#p0089vs1
(The other videos, with links underneath the main one, might also be of interest to you).

Chris

[Hymie]

I have lived in the UK all my life, lost most of my hair and some of my teeth – but I have never seen a snake in the wild, and probably never will.

Lucky you.

[Maydup]

Lucky indeed Hynie. I'm looking out of the window at that long grass now and wondering if its still there!

When I saw one a couple of years ago I also saw a baby. It was the length and width of a regular pencil and had a beautiful yellow band on its neck, just like the one on the Bill Oddie clip posted above.

It went under my upturned bucket and then off into the undergrowth. Maybe its fully grown now and out in the sun this morning!

[horseshoes]

Hymie, there's a place in Holyhead on Anglesey which has a lovely headland walk, known locally as The Range - very popular with people walking their dogs. It's well known for adders and you'll often pass somebody who will give you an adder alert! They're very beautiful.

[carmalee]

was sitting at my kitchen table, back door open onto garden when snake came in, did a tour of the kitchen, including going over my feet and disappeared out of the door - all in all he/she was inside for three/four minutes -absolutely brilliant.