Suddenly ... Spring (and Adders!)

This last week has produced a rich variety of wildlife. I shall be posting about some of my sightings in the days to come, but let's begin with the letter A ... for Adder, although the snakes in question have been named Bentley and Victory for ID purposes. Victory has particularly clear V-shaped markings. 

We arrived at RSPB Minsmere to discover that there had been sightings of two adders. There was a scope positioned with the snakes in view, so this helped us to get our initial bearings. Both snakes were tucked under the undergrowth and while this was not our best Adder encounter on account of the twigs and bracken, it was still terrific to see them.

The cross-over of bramble twigs was a useful marker and helped us to find the Adders ...

The scales seemed surprisingly dark. 

 The last photo shows the tail beginning to slide out of sight.

• Previous Adder sightings at RSPB Minsmere
• My first Adder sighting on the reserve