Snake! Snake! Oh, it's a snake

[nanila]

Swimming grass snake

Click to embiggen

April 22nd was the first time in my 6.5+ years in England that I've seen a snake in the wild. There are only three types of snake in the UK: the adder, the grass snake and the smooth snake. I was very excited when the bloke & I spotted a grass snake while walking around a National Trust property in Norfolk (Oxburgh Hall). This was the best shot I could get of it, as it was swimming rather rapidly upstream...towards a group of ducklings.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Snaaaaaaaake! That's a lovely shot. I didn't even know grass snakes swim.

[nanila]

I certainly wasn't expecting to see one swimming against the current. And making excellent progress!

[weaverbird]

Oooh, very cool!

[nanila]

Yes! We kept pointing at it and saying, "Snake!" to one another. It was a terribly articulate moment.

[fadedwings]

Great picture! Awesome snake!

[nanila]

Thank you! I love its bright yellow collar.

[ellarien]

That's great. I've lived in the UK most of my life and never seen a snake in the wild -- but then, in the 13 years I lived in Arizona I managed not to see any either. And I had no idea grass snakes could swim, either.

[nanila]

The bloke has lived in the UK for most of his thirty-odd years, too. This was his third snake sighting, and he grew up in the countryside.

I'm surprised you never saw a snake in Arizona! I thought you'd be falling over them every other minute there. :P

[lark_ascends]

Awesome!

[nanila]

Yes! It was so powerful. Amazing to watch.

[haruka]

Cool snakie! :D (but I hope the ducklings made out okay ...)

[nanila]

Oh, they saw it coming and promptly scarpered!