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Delamere Forest: |
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james4 Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2006 No. of posts: 466  View other posts by james4 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 has anyone been to delamere forest,is there reptiles there,it seems like a likly place ill go next yeat,any hunts of were they are in the forest. http://ukreptiles.proboards55.com |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266  View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 [QUOTE=james4]has anyone been to delamere forest,is there reptiles there,it seems like a likly place ill go next yeat,any hunts of were they are in the forest. [/QUOTE] From doing a Google search it appears you will find reptiles in Delamere Forest, I presume you're mainly after Adders?. Have a look in April and let us know how you get on. Alex. |
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james4 Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2006 No. of posts: 466 View other posts by james4 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 ok ,its a forest though,so i doubt there there in the forest as it trees and they need the sun,trees block the sun. http://ukreptiles.proboards55.com |
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james4 Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2006 No. of posts: 466 View other posts by james4 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 p.s not just adders any reptiles. http://ukreptiles.proboards55.com |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 adders are found in a forest biome with a mosaic of clearings, forest edges, firebreaks; plus any riparian areas for possible grassies. 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 [QUOTE=james4]ok ,its a forest though,so i doubt there there in the forest as it trees and they need the sun,trees block the sun. [/QUOTE] I think that Delamere Forest is just the name of the park, I'm sure you will find some open sunny spots close to cover where, with luck, you may spot an Adder, GS or CL. You will need to tread carefully and with no sudden movements, keeping your eyes peeled at all times. I'm fortunate that I live in Dorset and get to see our native herpetofauna frequently. Good luck (and take a camera). |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 General names for an area can be misleading, take the New Forest for example, you will not find a better reptile area. Others I can think of are Ashdown Forest. Closer to my old stomping ground is Wareham Forest home to all our native species. 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 [QUOTE=armata]General names for an area can be misleading, take the New Forest for example, you will not find a better reptile area.[/QUOTE] Thankyou Tony, you've hit the nail on the head here, whereas my explanation didn't quite, well, hit the nail on the head! Alex. |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 P.s, Tony, sorry to go off topic here...did you used to be curator at Poole Aquarium? |
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james4 Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2006 No. of posts: 466 View other posts by james4 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 yes ok ill go around march/april to look, http://ukreptiles.proboards55.com |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 Hi Alex, Yes, left in 79 for my first sojourn in SA. I believe the site is now very expensive flats. I used to love the old Poole Quay the way it used to be. 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 BTW when I left Poole I took up the position of Curator at Fitzsimons snake park; stayed there for two years then got well into wild snakes - particularly black mamba and gaboon adder. I also worked on Nile Crocodiles in St Lucia under the auspices of Natal Parks Board & Westville University (University of Natal). Hopefully, will take a trip with my colleague to KZN in September. However, just been informed of a viper conference in Portugal that month. Ah well, can't afford it anyway. 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 Yup, I love that part of UK too. My wife and I got married in Bournemouth, then across to Studland for the reception at the Banks arms and a romantic few days in a hotel there. I'd often visit the serpenterium and have a look around every time I was in the area. Prior to this as a teenager and into my early twenties i'd visit Studland with some mates to look for the big six on Studland Heath but, we usually got distracted by the females of our species on the beach 
We'd make notes of course, were they feeding at the time? Gravid? etc etc O-> O+> |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 Did you visit the serpentarium in my time Al. When we had 8 species of rattler, V.xanthina,(breeding)V.ammodytes(breeding) Gaboons(breeding) Puff adders(breeding) Also beautiful pair of black mambas. I lost a lot of my rarer stuff when they fired up a new kiln and killed off most of the Vipera, Atheris,Macrovipera,Trimeresurus and some of the Crotalus. The black mambas kept regurgitating food for a long while as did the Mozambique spitters - never forgave the owner for that - and all the snakes were my property, not his. Also, killed off that lovely coral reef tank completely. 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 I heard about this ,it must've been bloody devastating, i'd of been fuming too. Unfortunately it was some time after you left Tony, there was a pair of xanthina there , a trio of gabs, puffs, ammodytes, a lovelly big atrox, some cerastes and a few others that i can't remember. Shortly afterwards my first visit i took that step into the world of keeping venomous. Was the new guinea croc there when you were curator? O-> O+> |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 WE don't talk about the NG croc, ask DB. Actually, it still officially belonged to me; although PA fed and housed it so I guess it equalled out. It died just before they closed I think 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 Well I say some time after you left but, if i'd of known about the serpenterium when visiting in my teens you'd of still been there. I didn't check out poole untill the eighties. Ah so the NG croc is a sore subject eh, I'll remember that .It was the only one i'd ever seen in captivity. You know, it's funny how one certain thing can map out things you do in life. I remember pointing at the pair of xanthina at Poole and saying to my girlfriend (now wife), "wow! look at this for a European viper". A few months later my wife wanted to take me somewhere in Europe (My first ever holiday abroad) and straight away I said ,"Turkey, definitely Turkey". Of course I feel in love with this country and we've now visited Turkey 11 times
So, those two ottomans steered us in this direction. Another interesting thing is (Man you can tell it's winter , i'm writing my life story here ), as I was saying, another interesting thing is, we'd been trying for a baby for quite a while and my doc told me that the steriods I was taking for bodybuilding comps was making me infertile. I didn't take any with me to Turkey because of customs and bang , success! My first son was concieved there So, I must thank the ottomans for that little twist too I suppose
O-> O+> |
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armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 Wearing oversize boxer shorts works too 'I get my kicks on Route 62' |
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Alex2 Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 266 View other posts by Alex2 |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 [QUOTE=armata]Hi Alex, Yes, left in 79 for my first sojourn in SA. I'll reply to your post Tony before I read the wealth of messages after it!. I too loved the old Poole Quay, not so many years ago it had fantastic pubs plus an amazing vivarium/aquarium!. A real shame Neville sold up, it was sad days going in there and seeing the animals being shipped off to pastures new (including some of my own, Leiolepis Belliana if I remember rightly...excuse latin spelling, common name Bell's Agama). Admittedly some of the exhibits may of fallen behind the times but, nevertheless, a shame to see it go, the breeding successes there speak for themselves. I see Dave's here on this forum so will be good to catch up with him, I hear Miles went to Portugal and Steve is at Poole College looking after Bearded Dragons etc. I guess London Zoo has the biggest collection of Venomous now? (didn't PA/NW have the biggest at one point?). |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 03 Jan 2007 I lived on the Kingston Lacey Estate at Wimborne 1970-1972. Studland, Bankes Arms and a lot of Corfe Castle village belonged to the estate then - now National Trust. I moved to Devon in '72 when I married but my brother stayed on at Parkstone and in fact met you Tony at the quay. He loved the heath (Studland) and all things reptilian and spent many hours over there often having to sprint to catch the last ferry back to Sandbanks at night. As I recall the quay was still fairly traditional and not touristised. Was The Shipwrights pub on the quay? The dreaded large estate on Canford Heath was being built then with a massive loss of habitat. Yes reminiscing fills the winter evenings! Suz |
- Delamere Forest |