Where have all the adders gone?

[Guest Gimlet]

 

Since early summer I've been working on landscape restoration of some chalk down land. It's steep, partially wooded and an SSSI that has never been cultivated. I grew up nearby and know the place like the back of my hand. It was a regular haunt when I was a kid.

 

It occurred to me the other day that something was missing. Back when I was a kid, the place was teaming with adders. On summer mornings you'd be guaranteed to see one somewhere sunning itself on one of the yellow ant mounds that dot the place. And if you crawled into one of the thickets you'd be certain to see adders.

 

But since I've been working there I haven't seen a single one nor any sign of them. They seem to have vanished. 

 

I'm not overly keen on snakes but I miss seeing them, they belong there. This site should be a haven for them. It's quiet, out of the way, undisturbed and not intensively farmed but the adders have gone. Has anyone else noticed a lack of them?

[Marc Lewis]

Yeah, always used to come accross an adder or 2 on 2 or 3 seperate occasions. Now I have not seen one in years. I live in North Dorset.

[Big J]

I've seen a total of three in Scotland. One fairly large on in the Lammermuir Hills south east of Edinburgh and two black adders on Mull. 

 

Errr, and one on Epsom Downs when I was 10....

 

That I picked up....

 

That bit me....

 

Resulting in projectile vomiting at Epsom Hospital, blacking out and an overnight stay.....

 

And 6 weeks of a mostly unusable right hand due to blood blistering and swelling.

 

The moral of the story is don't pick up snakes. And if you have to, be absolutely certain it's not venomous! ?

[dumper]

I work on a site that has the highest concentration of adders in southern Britain on the right sunny day a brief walk in the right place you will see a dozen, the old boys on site  say that they are rare now compared to the 60/70s

[Rough Hewn]

As a kid on Dartmoor, there was an old bottle dump in an abandoned quarry. We used to avoid it in summer because of the adders.

[dumper]

Adders do like a old tip must be the rodents

[Tilio-acerion]

At the National scale the release of 47+million non native pheasants are likely a factor along with the normal loss of habitat, habitat and population fragmentation and disturbance issues...

[Paul in the woods]

4 minutes ago, Tilio-acerion said:

At the National scale the release of 47+million non native pheasants are likely a factor along with the normal loss of habitat, habitat and population fragmentation and disturbance issues...

Out of interest what do pheasants do to the adders? I've never seen pheasants eat a reptile. I've seen plenty of corvids and raptors eat them.

[Stubby]

6 minutes ago, Tilio-acerion said:

At the National scale the release of 47+million non native pheasants are likely a factor along with the normal loss of habitat, habitat and population fragmentation and disturbance issues...

There is no such thing as a native pheasant .  Most round here are Michigan blue back / Chinese ring cross .  Blue backs fly very well but are hard to keep .

[AHPP]

Adders aren't breeding enough. Too many puffs.

Edited November 10, 2019 by AHPP