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Adders at Burnham Beeches: |
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st rick Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 141  View other posts by st rick |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007
Usually, I see many more Grass Snakes at Burnham Beeches than Adders. It's classic Grass Snake country with wide, boggy clearings amongst deciduous woodland. I do see Adders, but far fewer. So, I was surprised to find 3 under the same tin last Fiday while there with a mate. This was only the second time I've ever found Adders under tin. I promise didn't arrage them in descending order of size!
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Steg Member Joined: 07 Sep 2007 No. of posts: 10  View other posts by Steg |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Beautiful :) Don't suppose you care to disclose where abouts in BB I can find adders? I am desperate to see them again in the wild (haven't seen any since I was a child) and I've been to Greenham Common and found none, and have yet to venture to Burnham Beeches. Just wondering if you could give a few pointers?
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266  View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 [QUOTE=Steg] Beautiful :) Don't suppose you care to disclose where abouts in BB I can find adders? I am desperate to see them again in the wild (haven't seen any since I was a child) and I've been to Greenham Common and found none, and have yet to venture to Burnham Beeches. Just wondering if you could give a few pointers?
[/QUOTE] Hi Steg, I'm afraid we're only allowed to give a rough guide on here and not pinpoint locations to the spot (especially in the case of our rarer herps and adders possibly more so - some people get a thrill from killing them sadly). I used to look around BB as a child visiting grandparents, and although don't recall seeing adders I did see grass snakes and common toads...Well worth a visit. |
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Steg Member Joined: 07 Sep 2007 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Steg |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Ah, fair enough :) some people have too much time on their hands..very sad that they'd get a kick out of killing them. Poor things. The larger adder in that photo is stunning. Such gorgeous animals. BB is only down the road from me really, so I'll have to go and have a mooch about on my next day off I think. Got a common toad sitting with me right here actually, hehe, I work in a garden centre and one of the guys just brought him in to me because he'd hitchiked in on a plantpot. Off to the nature reserve with him tonight I think! |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Hi Steg, A belated welcome to the forum :) Worth taking a camera if you've got one, every chance of seeing something tomorrow with the weather like it is. Can you get a shot of the toad that was brought in with the flowerpot? Be interested to see it :) |
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Steg Member Joined: 07 Sep 2007 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Steg |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h217/princess_doom/0709200 7.jpg There's the link for the toady pic. Not very good, as the digital camera here is no good for close up shots, so I had to use my phone. Only a baby :)
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Thanks for going to the effort Steg, nice little toad. Got some common toads of various sizes living in a raised herb garden out the back of my cottage, they get very tame especially when hand fed waxworms each week. Good luck finding those adders tomorrow :) |
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st rick Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 141 View other posts by st rick |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Burnham Beeches has been managed very well for reptiles since the introduction of grazing. Some areas are even closed off in Spring to allow them to thrive and, if you look, you can see reptile-friendly piles of logs and patches of brush dotted aqround the place. You will see signs here and there that mention the presence of Adders, so look where you see the signs. A good pointer would be to have a look at a map online and locate the larger clearings. Forests are very good for reptiles but you won't see much in the thick of the trees. Have a look at where the sun is falling (or would do if it was out)and search the sunny sides. Good luck! |
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st rick Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 141 View other posts by st rick |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 How do you delete a post altogeter on the forum when you realise you've made a silly mistake and posted the same pic twice?
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 BB was of course where I was introduced to the adder when I was eight in 19**. I used to run field trips for the then Middle Thames Natural History Society when I was just 13. I have got a lot of happy memories and I am glad they are at last getting it right re management. I would like to know the status of Littleworth Common just up the road and also Stoke Common. 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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st rick Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 141 View other posts by st rick |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Tony, never seen Adders at Littleworth Common, but quite a few Grassies, including some big ones, as I reported to you a while ago. The common is looking pretty wild right now and the ponds are clean. I tend to look close to the water as this area is best for the Grassies. There's a lot of bracken there, which perhaps favours Natrix. I certainly would not rule out Adders at Littleworth. You will be pleased to note both pubs doing well. The Jolly Woodsman under new management and packing them in all week it seems. I must check out Stoke Common. |
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Danial Senior Member Joined: 01 May 2003 No. of posts: 100 View other posts by Danial |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Great pic Rick Maybe one weekend I'll come along with you to BB, as it sounds a great site. Consultant Ecologist and Amphibians Officer of Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group www.surrey-arg.org.uk |
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mikebrown Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 95  View other posts by mikebrown |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 Nice to see the adders thriving again at BB, as I, like Tony, first encountered them there and at Stoke Common, as a kid, before I emigrated to Lancashire. I would also be interested to know if there are any left at Stoke Common. I noticed that there were signs for them there last year. Cheers, Mike Mike Brown Merseyside ARG |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 My sister used to be barmaid in the Stag. The grassies at Littleworth were big 4ft plus some of them. A lot of celebs used the pub there; often used to see Dennis Waterman a few years back. What about Black Park anyone check that out recently? 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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Steg Member Joined: 07 Sep 2007 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Steg |
Posted: 13 Sep 2007 Went over to BB yesterday and saw a snake - unsure which species it was because I just saw the tail end of it as it slithered away into the ferns and didn't get to see the patterning. Also saw a common lizard, and found a shed from an adult grassy :) Need to go back to find adders though
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mikebrown Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 95 View other posts by mikebrown |
Posted: 19 Dec 2007 Further to my previous post, I would be very interested to know what the present status is with adders at my old 'stomping ground' of Stoke Common, which I used to frequent regularly before migrating to Lancashire and eventually Liverpool in 1978 (due to work, not choice, initially, although I really like living in Merseyside now). Please PM me with any info. Many thanks, Mike Brown
Mike Brown Merseyside ARG |
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Andy_B Member Joined: 07 Jan 2006 No. of posts: 19 View other posts by Andy_B |
Posted: 09 Jan 2008 I went to Burnham Beeches for the first time last spring (bad considering im not very far from there!) looked for reptiles on quite a few visits on days which i thought would be ideal but all i saw was a common lizard. Had a good look round any areas i thought they might be hiding but cant help thinking i was looking in the wrong places. Great place for a walk and im already excited about having another look soon as its warm enough! |
- Adders at Burnham Beeches |
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