Friday 6 July 2012

From The Depths


The Viperine Snake
Natrix maura
Whilst I was at the pond one day last week, this Viperine snake emerged from it's depths.This gave me an opportunity to capture these two photos before it saw me and slithered away hidden by the vegetation.My first thought was for the Newts,but although I stayed there for a while hoping to get another shot it didn't reappear.These snakes eat fish and amphibians, and grow to 70cm in length.

42 comments:

Olga said...

I would get scary if I saw this snake. Cool pictures!

Ana Mínguez Corella said...

haha! ;-))) ... dangerous??? good images .. congrats

Eva Gonçalves said...

Is this in the old swimming pool or in your little pond in the garden? It looks realy dangerous for someone who isn't used to seeing them I suppose...:) It's quite a good shot actually. Good job! XX

susan said...

outstanding shot, very interesting!!!

TexWisGirl said...

that is beautiful! neat!!!

Anonymous said...

Scaring!
I don´t fancy reptiles, not just one:)
Excellent shot.

ShySongbird said...

Beautifully captured! If this relentless weather here carries on much longer they will be swimming around in the garden!

Breathtaking said...

Hi Olga
As you can see in the second photo these snakes are quite small, and they are not venomous.They will only strike if cornered or threatened. They are fast moving though, so it's best not to step on them!!!!:)

Breathtaking said...

Ana Minguez Corella
Ha ha!!I strategicly posted the them in this order, to give the impression that it's a huge snake in the first photo.If you are not familiar with this snake it might appear so!! It's not quite as frightening when you see it by the side of the leaf!!:)

Breathtaking said...

Eva
It's in the old swimming pool which has literally turned into a
pond.There are even fish in the water!!So glad you like the photo
love.XX

Breathtaking said...

Susan
Thank you Sue!We went there again today with the hope of spotting one again, but the only thing we saw was a beautiful blue Dragonfly.

Breathtaking said...

TexWisGirl
Their orange hue is very beautiful.
A lucky encounter!!Glad you like it.

Breathtaking said...

nacasadorau
I think it's the way they move, and their flicking tongue that makes them look scary.Thank you for
leaving a nice comment.

Breathtaking said...

ShySongbird
Thank you! Oh! I am so sorry about the terrible weather you have been having.It's been an exceptionally bad summer here so far, certainly the worst I ever remember.Although we have had less rain than you the weather has been so unpredictable.
Lets hope August and September will be fine for us both!

Bob Bushell said...

The snake lapping in luxuries, pretty little snake.

Stuart Price said...

Imagine finding that in the swimming pool............

Breathtaking said...

Bob Bushell
Ha ha! I suppose it is! This old pool is surrounded by garden and trees, and is the ideal place for a pond.We haven't used it in over 40 years, and just let the aquatic life take over.
It is a pretty little snake, and there are other larger snakes in the water!!

Breathtaking said...

Stuart Price
Perish the thought Stuart!! Our pool is in the garden, quite a distance from this one.I did find a snake on my varanda a couple of weeks ago though.It probably needed a safe place to hide whilst the men were pruning the climbers around the house.

Breathtaking said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
abhinavr said...

Amazing and beautiful!! Is it venomous??

Giancarlo said...

Belle le tue fotografie!
felice fine settimana a te....ciao

Breathtaking said...

Abhinav
Yes I agree! It is a beautiful finely built snake.It's none venomous.

Breathtaking said...

Giancarlo
Thank you so much! Have a nice weekend yourself!

ioan moldovan said...

Very suggestive title! The photos are very beautiful!
Greetings!

Breathtaking said...

Ioan moldovan
Grin!! Yes, I wanted to create a little drama with the title! So glad you like the photos Ioan,- thank you for your very nice comment.

Claudia said...

Lovely pictures, ...pretty little snake!

Breathtaking said...

Claudia
Thank you Claudia! It is isn't it!
Thank you for visiting.

Gaspar de Jesus said...

Hello BREA
Water snake ... I'm afraid!
Bjs
G.J.

Breathtaking said...

Gaspar de Jesus
If I had fallen in the water I would have been afraid too!! I think they are beautiful, at a distance.

S G.

Silenciosamente ouvindo... said...

Que bem que fotografou as
serpentes.Bj. Irene Alves

Breathtaking said...

Silenciosamente ouvindo
Obrigado Irene! A lucky encounter!
Bjs.

Brown Eyes said...

Photographing animals is not easy. It requires great patience, calmness and professionalism. Excellent photos. kisses

Breathtaking said...

Brown Eyes
Oh what a nice thing to say! I love
nature, and I love animals which is the main ingredient in my attempts to capture their beauty. My patience and calmness comes from long hours of drawing and painting.Professionalism is something I am willing to work hard at, but have a long way to go, but thank you for such a lovelycomment.:)

Giga said...

Zdjęcia piękne i gratuluję ich zrobienia. Ja bym uciekła z tego miejsca bez robienia zdjęć. Boję się i nie lubię węży. Pozdrawiam.
Beautiful pictures and congratulations to do. I would run away from this place without taking pictures. I'm afraid I do not like snakes. Yours.

Ian said...

A slightly apocalyptic thought for all those into natural history......

Frogs eat butterflies.Snakes eat frogs.Hogs eat snakes. Men eat hogs.
Ian x

Wallace Stevens - american poet
1879-1955

Diana said...

Thank you for visiting my blog. Your photos are wonderful. I joined your blog and look forward to seeing more :)

Breathtaking said...

Giga
Hi Giga! Believe me if one made a movement towards me, I would run
away too! They are beautiful though, at a distance.:)

Breathtaking said...

Ian
Nature provides for all,... and given half a chance a hog will eat a man!!XX

Breathtaking said...

Diana Cooper
Thank you Diana! Welcome to my blog.:)

BlueShell said...

A SNACK? Well done...nice, amazing photo...but...do you realize that it is as snake...don't you?
Hugs
BShell

Breathtaking said...

BlueShell

Grin!! Yes ofcourse I know it's a snake!! It's a lovely creature for which I have the greatest respect. My moves are calculated not to annoy or disturb it when photographing at a reasonable distance.So glad you like the photo.bjs

Lovable Derek said...

Amazing photos!
Snakes are so difficult to snap. We have loads of them in the area but to capture one on film (pixel?) can be very difficult.

Have a nice day.

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