Adder advice and how to report your sightings

We are often asked if we have any reptiles on Ramsey. The answer is that we do have Common Lizards and these are often seen basking on the footpaths, especially in the southern heath-land. We also have a writhing mass of Slow worms (legless lizards) in the farmhouse garden compost bin and many in the longer grass around the farm.  But we don't have any snakes. Despite what looks like perfect habitat for adders, they have never been recorded on the island.

However, just a mile across Ramsey Sound on the mainland, you may see adders basking in the open. At this time of year adders become more active and are more likely to be seen along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path where there is heath-land (heather and gorse), or in sand dunes.

We have received the advice below from Dr Sam Langdon, Pembrokeshire Adder Coordinator for ARG UK that we'd like to share. Amphibian and Reptile Groups of UK (ARG UK) is a registered charity committed to the conservation of native amphibians and reptiles and their natural environment by supporting the development of a network of independent volunteer amphibian and reptile groups (ARGs)

"Adders are very timid and are in real danger of becoming extinct in the UK if we don’t do something to help them. However, we receive a lot of enquiries about adders at this time of year from concerned walkers, dog owners and beach visitors, so we wanted to share some useful information here"