Addering Up the Excitement Levels

To be frank, these last few weeks have been, by far, the most bonkers Adder watching weeks in my memory. It started innocuously enough in the middle of February with our first basking male (the boys are always out first, basking to get their fertility up ready for mating)

Mrs WJ decided to name him "Speedrite" after the electric fence sign nearby, but when she radioed the sighting through, it was heard as "Steve Wright". That started a discussion about naming them after Radio2 DJs - and has culminated in the "RSPB Minsmere Adder Big Brother" series of reports you can hear on Radio 2's Rylan Saturday afternoon show. Talk about an idea growing legs! It was particularly exciting to see a melanistic Black Adder with the boys - whilst not mega-rare at Minsmere, they're always a favourite to see

Mr Black, along with 4 or 5 mates were regular near the Sand Martin bank until the end of March, when a female must have appeared, because they all disappeared over the horizon, one after the other.

However, the most remarkable thing we spotted during those weeks wasn't one of the adults at all - it was this little juvenile - one of last year's babies, trying to eat what was probably his first meal

With the Sand Martin boys all chasing pretty girls, we took to spotting our slithery friends down in the dunes - the Beach Boys were 2-3 weeks behind those living near the pond, presumably due to the chillier conditions on the exposed coast. With the gorse bushes bursting into bloom, the Boys took to lounging around on TOP of the bushes in the coconut-scented flowers!

But all too soon, things turned from calm to pandemonium. The alluring scent of a pretty lady drove the boys wild - and it all kicked off!

Even back near the pond, the boys were fighting

with Mr Black in the thick of things. Social Media channels went wild, with lots of visitors getting pics of the events, but all too soon, the excitement waned (there's an old country saying that all female Adders should be mated by St George's day) and we can all relax and go back to watching the Adders, watching us