RAUK - Archived Forum - Posts by timmy:

hello everyone.

first post...only joined this evening.

on numerous camping trips this summer my children (aged 8, 5 and 3) and i have engaged in a bit of very amateur herp spotting. we found lots of frogs and toads, smooth (i think) and great crested newts in shropshire, common lizards at conwy and derbyshire and slowworms at porthmadog. i reckon this was a decent effort for first-timers but the kids are a bit disappointed that we didn't see any snakes (i kind of made a bit of a rash promise way back in may!). i assumed it would be too late by now but, reading through some of the recent posts, i am feeling just a tiny tingle of optimism.

we are in north staffordshire. the weather forecast looks decent for the weekend. is there any chance of me living up to my promise?

many thanks for any help/advice.

tim

thankyou gemma and suzi

we will wait until spring.

i am aware that there are snakes and lizards at cannock chase, which is only a short drive away (i hope this is well known and general enough not to break the group's rule on not giving out sites).

we will also try and get some help, although even with an experienced guide we might struggle...suzi is quite right, the children don't do "moving quietly"!

thanks again

tim

ps what on earth will you guys do for the next five months!?!

thanks again

i would be really grateful for the advice come spring.

feb 14! that does seem early. as much as i have read recently about the times that reptiles begin to emerge from hibernation, i still find it hard to believe. last spring i read that the best time to see adders is from late feb to late march. however, being a typical man i ignored this and followed my instinct, ie. that the best time to see them was, in fact, in the middle of a hot sunny day in midsummer! so i can't blame the children entirely for drawing a blank this year.

happy hibernation...and remember, like all good moomins, fill your tummies up with pine needles before you go to sleep for the winter.

tim

at 12.30pm this afternoon, bbc radio 5 live ran a very peculiar story about a woman who was bitten by what they initially described as an adder but later simply as a snake, while asleep in her bed the other night.

the woman, from preston, said that she noticed a slight sensation in her leg at the time but not enough to wake her up completely. it wasn't until the next mornig that she noticed bite marks. later still, she began to feel some discomfort in the leg and went to hospital. she was immediately told it was snake bite, but that the effect of the venom had bee reduced by the ani-biotics she was already taking for something else.

it was then deduced that the snake had climbed in through her bathroom window and got into bed with her as it was looking for warmth. after biting her, the snake then climbed back out through the bathroom window and went "on its merry way".

is it april 1st already?!?

i'm off to essex visiting in-laws for the weekend now but look forward to reading comments when i return on sunday.

tim

here's a picture of two of my kids from porthmadog last summer. from the looks on their faces i think they enjoyed their first encounter with slowworms. they were supervised at all times and were very gentle. and, of course, the slowworms were put back exactly where they were found (much to the disappointment of the children who wanted to take them home).

we are a family of vegetarians and wouldn't want to cause any animal undue distress or harm. however, i feel that through engaging with animals in a tactile way, the children will develop a greater affinity and respect for wildlife in the long run.

tim

gemma

i am trying subtly to steer them in that general direction. doing ok with daughter who wants to be a zoo keeper but failing miserably with two sons...the one in the pictute wants to pick rubbish up off the streets so he gets to use a robot arm and the other one (not in the picture as he was too young to handle the slowworms) wants to be a cyberman!

tim