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Successfully spot reptiles

I have had a life long interest in amphibians and reptiles of all kinds, in particular our native species.  I grew up on the southern heaths of Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset, which just so happened to be the best locations in the country for observing amphibians & reptiles.  Much of this ideal southern habitat has since been lost due to various reasons, the construction of housing estates on prime southern heathland in order to cope with the ever expanding human population being a prominently contributing factor.  Some of this habitat still remains however, and areas of Surrey & to a greater extent Dorset still remain suitable habitat, and it is still possible to view all of our indigenous species in both counties. 

From very early childhood I have spent what some might say is an inordinate amount of time wandering such areas in search of native reptiles & amphibians.  Contrariwise, I  would say that I haven’t spent enough time doing so!  Not having anyone available with similar interests to mentor me, I was entirely self taught and slowly at first developed the skills required to be able to successfully identify suitable habitat
locations.  Other skills such as being able to read and identify suitable weather conditions for spotting reptiles and amphibians, as well as developing the light footedness and slow gentle pace that is needed to be able to view the animals in the wild state, also developed over time.  These subjects will all be covered here.

In addition, the all important ability to be able to spot the animals themselves amidst the tangle of vegetation that they frequent is a skill which has to be learned rather than taught.  However, in this text I hope to be able to save you some time in the development of such skills by giving you some simple pointers to put you in the right direction.   However, nothing beats the best method of all, which is quite simply getting out in the field and experiencing it for oneself.  I hope that after reading and digesting this text, that the reader may feel slightly more confident and better equipped to get out in the field and do just that.  Of course, being in Wales we are somewhat at the mercy of the weather, but we can sometimes play that to our advantage.  More on that however in the “when to look” section which follows shortly.

A little necessary biology;  “Think like a reptile”

Before proceeding any further, and in an attempt to make the reader more efficient at
identifying suitable reptile habitat and hence the animals themselves it is perhaps wise
to briefly consider things from a reptile’s perspective.  One feature of reptile ecology,
which is shared with amphibians, is the fact that they are cold blooded or to be more
precise; “ectotherms”.   That is that they are reliant on “Ectothermy” , (the use of
external heat sources) in order to reach the required temperature to be able to
function efficiently, i.e. feeding and reproduction.   Ectotherms must therefore either
restrict their ranges to relatively warm areas or shut down completely during cold periods as is the case with the reptiles of south Wales. 

As such, it is important that we consider habitat requirements from an “ectotherm`s”
perspective, or in other words, “think like a reptile”.  As warm blooded mammals, we
operate a very different system that is known as “Endothermy”producing our own
heat internally.  Therefore if we look for likely reptile habitat from a mammalian
perspective and fail to “think like a reptile” we are unlikely to be successful.

So how do I go about it?

In order to cover the subject of “How to look for reptiles” it is necessary to break the
subject matter down into sections. 

There are three basic separate considerations;

• Where to look?
• When to look?
• How to look?
  

Where to look?

Basically, wherever I happen to be, I go looking for reptiles at every opportunity in likely habitat.  Once a person gets over the perceived barrier of “only looking at recommended sites” and starts to think for his or herself regarding likely locations then they will start to notch up their sightings.

For example, if I am driving through an area and see a likely piece of habitat that is accessible to the general public, I will find somewhere safe to park and take a look if the weather conditions are suitable (obviously access permission must be sought in the case of private property).  I will also do so if the weather conditions are not right just to get a more detailed look at the vegetation structure and make a mental note to call back on a better weather day and at the most likely time to see herps for that time of year.  I have lost count of the amount of good sites that I have found in this way, including a few new sites only last year (2008).  I cannot over emphasise the need to get out and explore whilst "thinking like a reptile" if you like, in order to observe reptiles successfully.

Firstly then, let us take a look at what makes good reptile habitat here  

When to look?

The right time to look for reptiles depends on a combination of factors;

• The current weather conditions
• The recent previous weather conditions
• The time of day
• The time of year

Other than differentiating between the cold winter period when reptiles are hibernating there is no clear-cut way of defining the right or wrong weather during which to observe reptiles. Upon emerging from their hibernation sites, reptiles gradually become increasingly active from early spring onwards actively seeking to warm themselves up by either;

• basking in direct sunshine
• basking during bright but overcast conditions
• lying beneath or amongst objects that conduct heat (thermo regulating) such as flat stones, discarded sheets of metal or piles of heat generating rotting vegetation or compost heaps

During such cooler springtime conditions, reptiles may spend several hours basking each day.  Combined with the comparative lack of vegetation growth that conceals them later on in the summer, this generally makes for the best time to find them.  During early spring, reptiles will bask on any sunny day where the air temperature exceeds 10°C (or even less for adders and common lizards).  Later in the spring, cloudy and bright overcast weather are often good weather conditions for spotting basking reptiles, as the situation forces reptiles to stay out basking longer than they would do during sunny weather.  In warmer air temperatures, reptiles are active in a wider range of conditions, including cloudy and bright overcast weather.

With a little skill, most species of reptile can be found by dint of a careful visual search, however refugia are required to ascertain slow-worm population densities. Smooth snakes also use such refugia but it is important to remember that a license is needed to disturb this species, and checking beneath refugia definitely constitutes a disturbance.  Smooth snakes as a species should not concern anybody looking in south Wales however.  Neither slow-worms or smooth snakes are often seen basking in the open, and any refugia that may be lying around greatly increase your chances of finding them.  By refugia I mean flat stones, roofing slates or tiles, concrete slabs,  discarded sheets of tin, ply wood, boarding and tires.  I have found reptiles of all species underneath and basking on top of tires, old number plates and for sale signs, pieces of scaffold plank and plastic sheeting or even scrunched up newspaper.  Adders and grass snakes are also attracted to refugia, though with a little skill they can often be found basking in the open, which to my mind is both far more rewarding and far less intrusive.

A successful day of observing reptiles does involve a degree of weather watching and waiting for suitable weather time windows.   Recognising good reptile weather comes with practice, but even after a few attempts you will get a feel for reading the weather.

During early spring, the middle hours of the day such as 11am-3pm are most productive.   However as both the year and air temperature levels progress, reptiles venture out to bask earlier in the day and often re-appear later in the day.  By the time that summer has arrived, the best times to look are reduced to time slots or “windows” of an hour or two in the morning, 8-10am for example as well as during the late afternoon or early evening depending upon air temperature most likely to be between 5 and 7pm.  It is a popular misconception that hot days are ideal days during which to find reptiles out basking, and people ill versed in the ways of ectotherms that do not “think like a reptile” often dismiss sites as not holding reptiles due to not finding any during such seemingly ideal conditions. 

Remember, think like a reptile.  If on a hot day, the temperature in the shade or cover of dense herbage is sufficient for a reptile to function efficiently then why risk exposure to predators by basking in the open?   Also, being at the mercy of the sun with regards to both raising and lowering body temperatures, might not extended basking during such hot weather cause the animal to overheat?  Hot weather during the day can produce completely negative results.  However, if the weather is overcast, or the sun has come out after recent cloud or rain, reptiles may come out at any time of day, even in the summer.     

Early to mid summer also provides another opportunity to view basking reptiles, as gravid females increase the amount of time that they spend basking to further the development of their unborn eggs and embryos.  The precise time period of course depends upon the species concerned.  It is at such times that female adders can often cause concern amongst the public as they may become more apparent for a brief period of a fortnight or so as they approach the time that the young are dropped.  At such times, female adders have been known to appear in relatively exposed situations such as on sun drenched heat retaining tarmac to speed up the development of their unborn young.

Earlier, I briefly mentioned reptile observations being at the mercy of the Welsh weather.   I also mentioned that we can sometimes play this to our advantage.  Read on!

We have discussed how genuinely hot days produce very negative results.  The same is the case with strong wind and heavy rain  (although I did find a large female grass snake in mid slough cycle among the folds of a heat retaining black silage sack one evening during fairly heavy rain last year) but any other conditions can be productive, depending on the time of year.  Do not right off a day of intermittent rain or cloud.  If interspersed with sunny spells, these days can be among the most productive.  In such situations, reptiles are very quick to take advantage of the brief windows of suitable weather to bask.

Therefore a particularly good time to search is during sunshine that has followed rain.  I have sat in my car, or whilst in more remote areas, sheltered beneath a tree during rain on many an occasion rather than heading for home.   Once the rain has passed over, and the sun again shows itself for a period, the opportunities to observe reptiles are nearly always plentiful.      

A consistent run of several days of rain or dull overcast days is worthwhile monitoring.  The first day of sunshine after so prolonged a period of weather unsuited to reptiles is certain to produce reptiles basking in number. 

During late autumn, much like as is the case with early spring,  the weather must be sunny or only partially cloudy for reptiles to venture out and bask.  Air temperature need only be between 10-20°C, and in fact these are the most likely temperatures at which we are likely to encounter reptiles basking for extended periods.

To recap what has been covered so far;

• Overall, the best time to see reptiles is during spring (centred on April), as reptiles are very active and visible at this time of year.  Males especially need to bask more to get into breeding condition, and with cool air temperatures, all reptiles need to bask for longer at this time of year.
• As springtime progresses, ‘viewing windows’ become shorter. By the summer, sunny weather is only productive for short periods before it gets too hot and reptiles seek cover.
• Think like a reptile!   Very hot days are indeed the best days for reptiles but not the best days for us to see them.
• As temperatures cool in the autumn, conditions for viewing the animals become better again.  During the cooler months, animals tend to bask in more exposed positions, whereas in the summer they are often obscured by vegetation.
• Very hot days are almost always unproductive.
• Wet and windy days are almost always unproductive.
• Sunshine that follows a period of several days rain or dull cloudy weather provides conditions that are almost certain to produce reptiles basking in number.
• Late autumn provides another short window of observation opportunities during sunny or bright slightly cloudy days.
  
   

How to look?

So far, the subjects of identifying suitable habitat as well as when to look for them have been covered.  It is basic info that everyone needs to know if they want to go looking.  The subject area that is seldom accessible however is not where and when to look, but how to look.  This, in my opinion is the meat of the subject of successful reptile observation.  In an attempt to impart tips on “how to” look, I have tried to describe in anecdotal style a typical scenario below;

You arrive at a likely site, the weather is perfect, and it’s 11am on an April morning. The sun is shining and the temperature is comfortable.  Furthermore, the weather over the previous few days has been overcast and chilly.  If there are any reptiles present at the site, they will be basking, somewhere.

It`s pretty much common sense I know but don’t go marching around the place.  Slow down to what you feel is a more realistic pace to be able to notice reptiles before they notice you.  Once you have done that, slow it down a lot more, and again.  Now you should be barely even moving.  It`s only at this speed, almost standing still, a type of creeping rather than walking, that allows you to literally scan the vegetation as you pass it by.  Learn to recognise less favourable spots, and then you can speed it up a bit, once again slowing down when reaching more likely spots.

For example, you are walking along a hedgerow on the April morning described above that borders onto some parkland and connects onto a further corridor and expanding network of hedgerows.  The other side of the hedge is an allotment, full of lovely heat generating compost heaps and slightly unkempt areas to say the least.  A hundred yards or so away there is a decent sized pond, which supports a healthy population of amphibians.  As long as you aren’t in mid Wales, Scotland or Ireland, you should have a good chance of seeing a grass snake.

As you walk the hedgerow, part of it has a fair sized tree growing through it.  This causes a shady area to be created, and patches of stinging nettles are beginning to reach for what light there is.  There is plenty of ivy and shade loving plants here too. Speed up your pace, there is not likely to be any reptiles here.

You come to a corner, as you turn the corner you notice that at this angle the hedgerow is now receiving full sunlight, but the vegetation is still not really offering any security.  A bit further on and patches of impenetrable bramble are creeping out from the hedge.  Where this bramble meets the parkland that you are walking on, there are patches and dry tussocks of grass, which have been left to grow, as the park rangers don’t mow right up to the uneven hedgerow.  The sun is hitting it straight on.  A fly buzzes by and lands on a grass tussock.   Slow right down, with your hands behind your back, so as not to be tempted to wave them around for whatever reason (swatting flies for example!).

Scan every inch of the base of the hedgerow where the bramble meets the untidy tussocks of dry grass and dead dry leaves.  If you need to stop walking to be able to scan it all thoroughly, then do so!  It is essential that you develop the “gentle step”.  Tread very lightly, making the absolute minimum of ground vibration.  At the base of the hedgerow, inches away from the security of the bramble mass, there is a "seat" of dry grass in full sunshine.  Your shadow is thankfully falling behind you.  If it wasn’t doing so, then it would be well worth your while to walk away from the hedge at a right angle to it and out into the parkland so that your shadow does not fall anywhere near the hedgerow.   Having done so, then walk at a faster pace right to the end of the hedge, then walk back towards the hedge line so that you are once more tight to the hedge but facing in the other direction to when you first started.  You can now proceed to walk back the other way to look for reptiles at scanning (almost stopping) pace with your shadow behind you.

You scan the "seat" in the dry grass.  Imagine the type of sun trap hollow that a cat makes for itself in such places, sheltered by concealing vegetation but not shaded.  How can a reptile ignore such a priority basking site, exposed to full sun, further heat conducted by the dry grass patch that has more than likely been receiving sun for some time but is a mere reptile’s body length away from the security of the bramble tangle?  Then you see him.  Coiled in a neat "pile", his head resting neatly at a slight angle at one end of the body coils, his yellow collar concealed by the end of his tail draped resting over it, is an adult male grass snake.  The entire area taken up by the coiled basking snake is little more than an average sized ashtray.  Your speed of walking being a little too fast, you automatically stop too suddenly when you catch sight of the animal, and it slithers off into cover quicker than you thought possible. 

Don’t bother crashing in looking for it, destroying the microhabitat and scaring everything else nearby away, or preventing an animal that was contemplating coming out to bask from doing so.  Learn by your mistake, and move along the hedgerow very slowly.

The hedgerow looks ideal, full sunlight, plenty of choice basking spots in the dry tussock grass at the base of the brambles.  A matter of a few yards further on there is a pile of woodchips left by the park management to rot in the long grass and brambles. The hedgerow recesses back here slightly and it is overall, pretty unkempt and overgrown.  You stand still in order to scan the pile of chippings, ensuring that your shadow does not fall on any area that you are yet to scan.  Right at the edge of the pile of chippings, merely inches away from a mass of bramble and tussock grass is a large female grass snake, this one is more loosely coiled in more of an oval shape, and half the size of the previous animal again.  Due to your slower pace this time, your stopping to view the animal is not sudden and does not alarm it.  You have detected the snake before it detected you this time.  Stay still and admire it.  A full minute later and you are still watching the snake bask.  Painfully slowly, you ease yourself away from the hedge line, and move on.  The animal is still there basking, totally undisturbed.

Elated at your success, and with renewed confidence you scan the ideal habitat before you whilst very slowly moving along the hedgerow.  There are so many likely basking spots to scan that you once again stop completely to be able to allow your eyes to take in and process all the information before you.  The very slight breeze is causing the longer grass to sway ever so slightly.  Looking into a sunny patch again, your eye is subconsciously drawn to something stationary whilst all else around it gently moves with the slight breeze.  Your eyes light up as you recognise that what your eyes had initially interpreted as a stationary stick or lump of soil is in fact a basking lizard.  Not only that, but just behind it, half concealed by some vegetation is a second smaller, darker animal, one of last years young.

Continue your walk, at a snail’s pace when passing by ideal prime microhabitat, slightly quicker in less favourable spots, and you should have a productive day.  Train your eyes to recognise the slightly different, the still amidst the swaying.  If you notice a lizard dash for cover due to it noticing you before you noticing it, keep your eye on the spot, get comfortable, sit still and wait.  If the sun stays out and you don’t cast your shadow over the area then you are very likely to see the same animal return to the same spot or very close to it within 5 minutes.  The springtime sunshine is hard for a lizard to resist.

Keep exploring, nice and slow, what’s the rush?  Keep training your eyes to recognise the animals or parts of them amongst the tangle of vegetation in the case of mosaic basking, and you should have a day to remember.  Don’t leave it too long before you do it again however.  The more often that you go looking, the more accomplished you will become at it.  It is all too easy to get “rusty” again, I always do after a winter has passed and I haven’t been reptile watching for a while.  It soon comes back though with regular herping walks.

Leave the dog, kids or talkative friend at home, switch your mobile phone off and enjoy.

Below is a brief summary of one day’s reptile watching in South Wales last summer.  Multiple sites were visited and far more comprehensive data was retrieved than is listed below.  The notes below however give an idea of how different weather windows during the same day can produce very different results;

Ist site, weather was overcast with sunny spells, time of day was about 10am. Saw plenty of this year’s juvenile common lizards; six were sitting together on top of one of the refugia (meter square of roofing felt). Quite a few lizards were out, most of them juvenile. Also saw a few slow worms. No snakes though.

2nd site, same weather conditions, 11amish. Plenty of common lizards, more adults seen at this site, and the sun came out a bit more halfway through the session. Also found three baby grass snakes and an immature one that weighed 70g. All the snakes were under refugia, as were half of the lizards.

3rd site, much sunnier, one immature grass snake under refugia. 12.30ish. One or two lizards out basking. Pretty much warm enough for reptiles to not need to bask so a pretty low count.

4th site, patchy cloud again and sunny intervals. 14.00ish, Two slow worms under refugia, plenty of common lizards basking, one big female on a discarded pvc window frame, another on a tire, and another on a bright blue plastic lid from a bucket or similar. No snakes.

5th site, very over cast with short sunny spells, coolish. 15.30ish.  One common lizard under refugia. Three adult adders all male, all out basking. Not much sun when I found the first two, (one of which had recently consumed a fair sized meal judging by the bulge) but they were out all the same. All in dry grass at the base of mature heather.

6th site, same weather as above, 17.00ish. Two juvenile grass snakes under the same refugia, one a neonate more than likely only a few days old. No animals out basking.

Being amidst reptile country on a regular basis often presents opportunities to observe other forms of wildlife.  Dragonflies for example are a welcome distraction when there are no grass snakes out basking.  It passes the time watching them also when I am sitting still and waiting, which brings me to my final point about watching native herps.

It`s not all about walking around hunting for them.  Once you know a site well enough, and have a good idea where individual snakes tend to be basking at different times of the day, it’s well worth getting there early on a decent day and making yourself comfortable where you have a good view of the animal’s basking spot.  In this manner I have had some great views of animals whilst they have been seemingly oblivious of me.  Turn your mobile phone off.  There is a theory going around that snakes can detect them, but even if they cannot, the last thing you want is the thing ringing when you are watching a grass snake hunting through the cover!

Sitting and waiting can take up a lot of time.  Rather than viewing this as a nuisance, adopt the attitude of a race of people who were genuinely in tune with their surroundings, the Apache Indians.  To an Apache, “stillness is a pleasure”, a statement that I can certainly relate to.  There are so many other distractions that can occupy me whilst waiting for reptiles to appear or pass by which can be just as fascinating.  Dragonflies, as mentioned above, can display some absorbing behaviour to the extent that I am now involved with surveying them also.  I may as well as I am at several prime spots for them so much of the time. 

Lizard habitat, especially relatively high south facing banks and the resulting reduced wind in the case of the steeper banks, has in the past provided ideal opportunities to sit still and literally merge into the habitat.  Such sheltered sun exposed spots enable one to “home in” on all manner of rustles and movements in the stillness created by the sheltered bank and if one can develop the patience, a window is opened onto the private life of the resident wildlife.  Animals that I have had the pleasure of watching going about their business as a result of sitting still at “grass roots” level in lizard and snake habitat over the years include invertebrates of all kinds, water voles, field voles and various shrews, foxes, otters, the “dreaded” mink, weasels, stoats and polecats.  I have witnessed and heard shrews having some pretty serious battles whilst I was sitting still and waiting for lizards to make an appearance during their hunting patrols or to present themselves to bask at their favourite haunts.

Don’t go out sitting and waiting if you are covered in aftershave, deodorant, perfume or hairspray either.  Go "au natrel" (but fully clothed!) in order to substantially increase your chances of seeing something worthwhile.   Carry water with you, and perhaps a notebook and pencil and that is all that you really need.  You can become more advanced and take a GPS system with you and a watch to make note of times of observations.  However, be careful not to defeat the object of actually experiencing behaviour personally by carrying too much clutter.  Do not confuse a day spent surveying, which does require various equipment and to be honest, more than one person, with a day spent attempting to observe behaviour.  The two are very different.

Although population displays do not generally require animals to be captured, more comprehensive studies that require the retrieval of data may involve some capturing of animals.  For example, in order to take measurements for comparison it is unavoidable that animals will need to be captured.  Do not attempt to do so without appropriate training from an experienced field herpetologist.  It is not a subject that we shall cover here, it is far better to show than to tell.   I will pass on one tip regarding grass snakes and their musk however. 

Do you have a strong stomach for potent smells?  When captured, a grass snake’s first line of defence is to void its anal glands.  For those that have not yet experienced this, it stinks, and has a hot spicy pungent, bitter sweet smell like nothing else on earth.   Animals that are allowed to void the contents and slither through it in the hand (it may sound gross but you get used to it) tend to calm down quicker than animals that are restrained.  Restraining them can cause them to delay musking.  Getting back to my original point, if an animal can be held so that it musks all over your walking boots, it is often worthwhile, after releasing the animal, to sit around, very still and quiet and see who comes to investigate your grass snake flavoured footwear.  I have experienced male grass snakes approach my recently musked boots and check them out, flicking their tongue over my boots reading the scent.

Also regarding grass snake musk, if your hands stink when you return home, it is often tempting to wash them with hot soapy water.  Resist the urge.  Hot water opens the pores in your skin, which allows the smell to penetrate further and linger for days. Use cold water and some antibacterial soap on your return and repeat the process a couple of times.  You will lose the smell!

Due to sitting still in choice spots, I have seen adders dancing in the spring, trying to wrestle each other to the ground.  I have had a sand lizard actually bask on my boot, and on occasion a male chase another across my boot.  I have seen both sand and common lizards mating and hunting and catching spiders and grass hoppers.  It`s also a good way to view grass snakes hunting through floating plant life, searching the cover for the small fish and newts that it attracts.

This is the way to observe behaviour, forget about taking pictures, and leave the camera at home.  Just enjoy the experience and see behaviour first hand that you would not see if you tried capturing it on film due to scaring the animals off by inevitably pushing things that little bit too far to try and get a better picture.  Keep the camera for days when you are just walking the site and looking for basking animals.

The Google earth facility available on the internet can be very useful for identifying possible sites.  Whilst it would be useful for the well intentioned if a "site sharing" facility was set up, it would also undoubtedly draw unwanted attention to already fragile colonies of reptiles from people with less honourable intentions.  Reptiles, particularly adders, are still very much misunderstood by a surprisingly large amount of people and I wouldn’t suggest publicising the whereabouts of colonies.

I have described elsewhere the type of habitat at which to look for reptiles.  I won’t go so far as to say exactly where.   If anybody really wants to get out there and see native herps, all they have to do is look in likely habitat at the right time during the right weather.

People with less honourable intentions are not likely to go to the trouble of taking on board the necessary information to be able to do so.  Giving out precise locations would be asking for trouble from such people however, particularly the "adder vigilantes".