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cannock chase: |
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tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572  View other posts by tim hamlett |
Posted: 27 Feb 2007 hi so far the weather forecast for saturday looks decent (although this may well change). it is unlikely that the children and i will get more than one or two opportunities to check out cannock chase for herps this spring, with seeing our first adder and/or grass snake a priority really. given this, would it be advisable to use one of the opportunities up this weekend providing the weather is ok, or would it be better to wait a week or two? also, although we are more than happy to go spotting without any specific help, if there is anyone out there who knows the area and, without giving too much away, could point us in the right direction, we would be most grateful. cheers tim |
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tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572 View other posts by tim hamlett |
Posted: 02 Mar 2007 weather looks like it will be ok...sunny spells and max temp of 10-11c, with possibility of showers later on. as other people are seeing adders i assume that it won't matter too much if we go tomorrow or leave it a week or two. i have spoken to the head ranger who has given me some useful info as to where to concentrate our search. i'll let you know how we get on. tim |
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tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572 View other posts by tim hamlett |
Posted: 03 Mar 2007 well, weather was decent...plenty of sunshine and really quite warm out of the breeze. miles of open heathland and birch woodland. had a really nice hour and a half walk but no adder sightings. i bet we walked past dozens though! they really aren't easy to spot are they. tim |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181  View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 03 Mar 2007 Tim, that's quite an understatement, they can be very very difficult to spot. Also, it is still early in the season, and the reproductive females won't have thought about emerging yet, so you are fighting with one arm tied behind you back. Here's a link to something I wrote about spotting adders a while ago, it might have the odd useful tip. Link Steve Langham - Chairman 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572 View other posts by tim hamlett |
Posted: 03 Mar 2007 thanks steve had a quick glimpse but will have a proper look later. cheers tim |
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james4 Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2006 No. of posts: 466  View other posts by james4 |
Posted: 03 Mar 2007 lol that will be me in the summer when i see none saying i bet you walk passed lots. http://ukreptiles.proboards55.com |
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tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572 View other posts by tim hamlett |
Posted: 03 Mar 2007 james, we'll have to have a competition...see who can go on the most adder searches without seeing anything! i'm winning so far with 1. steve, i've had a good look at the link. thanks very much that's all really helpful. i thought before going today that i'd have a sense of where specifically to look but when i got there it just looked like miles and miles of the same habitatit. at least i know a bit more now. it does seem, though, that there's no substitute for years of experience...and there's only one way to get that! tim |
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tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572 View other posts by tim hamlett |
Posted: 25 Apr 2008 Made it out for what looks like turning out to be my annual trip to cannock chase. saw one common lizard and this little newt.
oh yes, i almost forgot. i also saw my first adder
the children still haven't seen one yet thoguh, but i reckon it won't be long now |
- cannock chase |
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