Snakes alive!

There is always something interesting going on around here - but I don't always have the time to tell you about it!

I was called to the swimming pool to see "something interesting". Now you know that when the weather gets cooler the reptiles go into hibernation so what was waiting for me was a real surprise.

Swimming around in the blue waters of our pool was a snake!

1/125 f/5.4 42mm ISO 400

It would have been even colder in the water than in the sunshine but this little reptile was really showing off his skills. Up and down the side of the pool he went and when we walked near the edge where he was he would dive down and swim lower in the water. This was very much his environment.

We needed to get the snake out of the water but if we had used the leaf skimmer the snake would have wriggled over the edge and back into the water, so we coaxed it into the skimmer box.

The head and body went over the ledge but what the snake did not realise was that he left the last six inches of tail dangling in the pool. Colin lent over the edge and took a firm grip and easily lifted the little fellow out of the cold water.

1/400 f/8 26mm ISO 400

Before he was let free I persuaded Colin to hold the snake for me so that I could take a couple of photos of him.

1/320 f/8 14mm ISO 400

Standing up and holding the snake gives a better idea of the true length of the snake.

Of course I needed to get in close and get a better look. My final shot shows the markings on the snake. I have no idea what sort of snake it is or even if it is a poisonous snake.

1/600 f/5 36mm ISO 400

It was not a brown snake (deadly) or a red bellied black snake (deadly) Nor was it a tree snake - it was definitely not a carpet snake (python) so we gave the poor little fellow the benefit of the doubt and put him over the retainer wall into a big pile of leaves and branches and let him find someone else to alarm!

Once we are into winter and the night time temperatures are below 15 degrees it is unusual to see much action among the reptiles - especially the snakes. However I have noticed that with the warm daytime temperatures the little lizards are out in the open and running about.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring!

AJ