Toby our warden had a bit of a shock yesterday, when out working on the reserve. He came across a grass snake. Now, this isn't anything unusual. We have plenty of them here. They love to bask in the sunny spots, then go hunting along the edges of pools, channels and the like. But this one seemed to be extra friendly. It even slithered over to say hello, and started to climb up Toby's leg!
Toby with the snake (picture by Jim Shaw)
Toby did his best to avoid frightening the snake, which produce a really stinky liquid if they are alarmed. Eventually it left him alone and slithered off elsewhere.
A few days ago the wardening team had rescued a grass snake that had got trapped. Maybe it was the same one, come to say thanks?
Grass snake (picture by Jim Shaw)This one was actually quite a small one. They can grow up to 1.8 metres long (6 feet), though to grow to such size is rare. And don't worry, it won't bite! They mostly eat frogs and toads, which they squeeze to death.
Reedbed, freshwater scrapes, saltmarsh and wet meadow. Frampton Marsh has it all! Come and pay us a visit soon.