As a general rule, I never walk through grass higher than about 6", especially in summer when the snakes are active and it's hard to see them.
So 2 days ago I decide to head to Pitt Town Lagoon for a while. Last time I was there, the grass wasn't all that high, and there was a fairly well defined track to walk in to get to the mound.
Upon arrival I found the grass had grown significantly making the track hard to distinguish. But it was about 8.30am and the grass was entirely covered in a thick dew, so I thought any snake lurking around would either be waiting for it to warm up. or would head to somewhere else to get warm.
So I braved the walk to the mound and just as I arrived at the mound I saw one of the largest Red-bellied Black Snakes sunning itself right at the entrance!
Bugger! So much for breaking my own rules! :^(
So Gelmir, couldn't U have prodded it with a stick or 'somfin to get a clearer shot of it? ... maybe got it to rise up on it's tail so we could see the venom dripping fangs ... where's your commitment??? B^>
VJ
Yep, that's one thick Red-belly, Gelmir.
I have recently seen two snakes on my plant hunting trips. i normally see very few snakes.
Also, report from Canberra bird watchers confirm the trend - snakes have been active in hte late summer, early autumn.
Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
I know exactly how you feel. This is what I neally walked on last time I went to the Hunter Botanic Gardens - an Eastern Brown I think. Even though the grass is not long like yours he was remarkably hard to see and I suddenly saw him when I was within about 3 metres of him. I took a few photos - but from a distance with maximum zoom! After that I was very jumpy - I was picturing myself alone with a snakebite and no-one knowing where I was (it was a week day so there weren't any passers-by).
Beautiful!
I have to say it is a bit of a myth that snakes hide in long grass. Actually they are more likely to be out in the open where they get more sunlight. In fact I have seen a snake completely disappear in grass that looked to be only a couple of inches long!
Of course that is not to say that you should walk through long grass instead of short grass! Of course they are harder to see in long grass and undergrowth.
Black snakes are not a major concern because they will do their best to avoid you. Of more concern are brown snakes and tiger snakes, which can be aggressive.
Here is my best pic of a tiger:
...and a baby brown snake:
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
whoa! this gives me goose-bumps hehehe....
isn't it that the tiger are the venomous snakes here??
nice photos though guys :)
All the above-mentioned snakes are venomous, but a black is unlikely to kill you!
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
@VernJ
Pitt Town Lagoon is very good for raptors, and I did flush what I thought was a Kite or Goshawk as I was nearing the snake, so setting up the camera nearby to wait for a Raptor to get himself some breakfast certainly popped in my mind, if only for 1/10 of a sec. :^)
Hey Gilmir ... M8 I'm not sure if I'd have had the bottle to stick around and get the shot you did .
... My brother caught snakes for the Qld Museum in his early years out west(had one named after him). He would tell me scary stories when I was a Kid. Stuff like waiting for a snake to reappear only to discover it or another one at your feet...
Thanks for another interesting post Gilmir, stay safe, think about long wellies for the Lagoon visits.
Cheers!
VJ
Awww Gelmir I thought you would have got a close up ground level shot for us.
@Vern - Once I realised it wasn't a bit of black tubing, I pretty much took the shot and legged it out of there quick smart! No heroics from me. And I think you brother had an interesting job, but not one I'ld like to do.
.
@Tassie - If it was out in the open, and I was at least 20m away, and I had a fast exit prepared, I probably would have taken better shots. But not in the long grass.....
.
@Birdgiel - Last time I was there, the staff warned me that the snakes were about. I think I kept one one on the birds and the other on the ground. If you don't know how to administer first aid to a snake bite victim, it's probably a handy thing to learn.
Just after this thread, I get this on the weekend...
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Did you get it out?
I was expecting a Carpet Snake in your rafters.
Looks remarkably, like a Tiger,from the little bit one can see. Don't mess with those guys.
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
Oh! Dear ... did you see where it went? eg "outside" . It didn't really look like a carpet snake did it. Is there a snake wrangler in your neighborough you can call.
Good luck, stay safe ...
VJ
aa - are you really unaware of the venomous snakes in your area? EEEK !!
If you are hanging around lakes near Rockingham I suggest you watch out for a variety of them. Over there the tigers and dugites like to be near swamps and water. They love frogs etc as far as I know.
Check out this link, he's a local for you and well respected across oz
http://members.iinet.net.au/~bush/
tigers can be black on top.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Yes, it was definitely a tiger snake.
We suspect it was imported in a couch that we picked up from friends on the weekend. Fortunately, once we spotted it it crawled straight out that hole and outside.
I promptly blocked the hole (at that stage thinking that was where it had come in) and stuck my head out the window to watch it crawl under the house.
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia