Continued Work With Adders

Hello, seems I'm a little behind with my blog posts so time to play a bit of catch up with posts all about orchids, grasshoppers and an update on adders all to come in quick succession! First up is adders.

Way back in April, I mentioned about adders and a few locations I have been checking out for these wonderful creatures. Well, I have been back several times and seen adders every time which is encouraging and these sites are now firmly on my regular visit list, although I will not give out these locations for the safety and welfare of the snakes I will keep you updated as to what is going on. This has been a brand new experience for me and I have learned a lot about this species and in the coming months I will putting together an article on how you can enjoy seeing and experiencing these snakes in the wild without causing any harm to them and keeping yourself safe at the same time. First up are a couple of photos taken of an adder in amongst the gorse bushes, these were not the easiest of images to take and resulted in many prickles in places you really don't want to get prickled but I wanted to show the snake in it's habitat.

As you will know by now, the welfare of my subject always (no excuses) comes first and if this means missing a shot then far better than causing distress or harm to the animal. The following photos took nearly two hours to take and I just sat there watching the individual, she knew I was there but at no time showed any signs of distress or threat and as you can see that patient has really paid off.

 These truly are fascinating creatures and I will continue to work with them in the coming years, observing and recording their lives in these specific locations. And maybe just maybe convince at least a few people that they are really not some terrible beast to be scared off, they are just another animal going about their daily lives just as we do.

One thing concentrating on a few species and talking to people has helped me realise is that often species are either mis-understood or not understood at all which can lead to fear or dislike. Yes, with some animals, such as the adders, you do have to be extra careful but being allowed to spend so long in the company of one individual was amazing. Over the coming months and years I will be sharing my experiences with wildlife and nature as I document them in my own way, sharing tips on how you to can enjoy them and at the same time learn more about them and their place in their ecosystem. I will be following my subjects throughout the year rather than just one visit and move onto the next subject, in the hope that I can build up relationships and document changes over time. My main target species will be those that most people don't like, over look for the larger more charismatic ones or just really don't care about, so there will be bucket loads of artistic, funny and different images coming your way! That doesn't mean to say that if anything cute crosses my path or an opportunity arises I will pass it up :)

But for now, I have wedding photos to process and another two blog posts to prepare!

Take care and up next is orchids so stay tuned!