Viper

Really wanted to show the kids an Adder, so headed off to a likely spot. The sun was just breaking through mid-morning, which created optimism that the scaly ones would be out with their towels on the sun loungers. Chiffchaffs aplenty chiffed and chaffed in the woods and Adelaide's first Green Woodpecker yaffled unseen from a nearby pine.

A likely spot revealed the diamond pattern of an Adder, basking with flattened body under the protective spines of a small Gorse bush. It was incredibly camouflaged and would have been easy to overlook but a fellow snake spotter showed us the spot. The kids all got a close look and behaved really well keeping still and quiet. Their first wild snake - great!

Nearby a Common Lizard gave itself away by scuttling across some dead leaves.