Herping North Wales, UK - Grass Snakes, Sand Lizards and more!

Due to lockdown many overseas plans have been cancelled and so what better time to appreciate our native reptiles and amphibians :) In this video I visit one of my favourite sites in North Wales where we encounter multiple species of reptile and amphibian and we talk about each as we find them. Hope you enjoy this video and as usual any questions at all feel free to put them in the comments below. Please like share and subscribe :)
#reptiles #herping #UKreptiles #grasssnake #sandlizard #slowworm #commonlizard #northwales #amphibians

[@wiredwilderness4431]

Great video! Loved how you don’t feel the need to catch every herp for their own wellbeing!

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou! yeah I much prefer watching them do their own thing and "trying" to film them do natural behaviours but as I'm sure you know that's easier said than done haha

[@rory5780]

@@fishingandherping7681 in lots of videos people will slam down their hands on lizards to try and catch them and even “proffessionals” will pick up 4 grass snakes at once holding them by there tails.

[@vandalsavage6152]

Very knowledgeable and well done. It's important that people know how to respect our wild creatures and you did it perfectly without lecturing. Thank you.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks, appreciate you watching the video and glad you thought I wasn't lecturing I often fear it can sound like that.

[@raven7756]

Really great video, really fun to watch and great footage!

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks very much! Appreciate the comment :)

[@Botomatic]

Gorgeous animals, only ever seen the one wild Grass Snake in my life. Yns Hir a few years back, I was looking up in the trees at some birds when all of a sudden I looked down and saw one slither across the path and over my shoe! Was only a little baby, their were thousands of Toadlets on the path so he must have been on the hunt!

[@fishingandherping7681]

Couldn't agree more :) and ah that sounds like a great encounter, yeah amphibians make up a huge part of their diet! Great stuff.

[@im1withnature]

Excellent video looks great and I love how you ID everything!

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou! appreciate the kind words, glad you liked it :)

[@markymash]

No need to apologize for the camera work, keep doing what you do and thanks for a great informative video !👍

[@lizpowell4641]

What a fab video! Learnt a lot and was lovely to see all the different lizard species. Thank you 😊

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks very much! Appreciate you watching and commenting :)

[@archiecook7170]

Excellent video, thankyou for putting it out there on behalf of our beautiful grasssnakes

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou! Appreciate the comment :)

[@ruhelproduction5360]

Excellent video

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou!

[@DissedRedEngie]

I wish grass snakes were common in reptile keeping. Mostly because of their history in nordic countries. At least in Finland, before christianity, they were welcome animals. People gave them milk, because they didn't know better (also done in India), they thought snakes improved harvests and animal produce. (There is some truth to it, as snakes would eat rodents) Some people apparently let them stay under their beds.

[@amberdy12]

Great video -cheers

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate! and no worries :)

[@russellsreptiles]

Nice to see you got the Sand lizard too! We weren’t lucky with Natrix and just found few slow worms, but a very fun day

[@fishingandherping7681]

Ah yes I was so grateful to get one, eventually, I think this female was potentially the last one out haha and ah not to worry :) definitely a fun day :D

[@edwardking1085]

Good video. respect

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate :)

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

Great Vid Buddy. Those slow worms are really cool and the grass snake are beautiful as well. I love that “slate” grey color. Similar to our ring necks.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate, yeah they're a great looking snake :) spent some time in Arizona and never found a ring neck but would love to one day :)

[@martinlandy8199]

Brilliant video , well done mate.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou, appreciate the comment :) Glad you liked it.

[@harveytweats2119]

Really do love these videos

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou!! glad you're enjoying them :)

[@kamalali4432]

I love your videos please make more

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks very much! I'll try and make many more :)

[@camandtateoutdoors2439]

Cool video! Nice finds!

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou! :)

[@kerrypitt9789]

Here where I currently live in Alberta, we have Garter Snakes and Tiger Salamanders. Southern Alberta has Rattlesnakes but not up here. The Alligator Lizard in British Columbia will shed their tail in defense and grow it back over time. I really enjoyed this video.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Awesome species though I'd love to see Tiger Salamanders, looked for a few in Arizona but no luck, I guess they're Prairie rattlesnakes up in Southern Alberta, be great to see, Thanks for watching :)

[@vory1770]

I was in Australia and I saw a bush move I looked underneath it and there was a monitor I’m not very interested in monitors but t was still beautiful

[@fishingandherping7681]

Wow great stuff! I'd love to visit Australia to see some of their reptiles :)

[@vory1770]

@@fishingandherping7681 you should definitely try to come!

[@noelburke9845]

Thank you for the information and film here. I love your style. And today I saw a grass snake, or the tail of one, disappearing into my allotment compost heap ... I live in far SW London. I am hoping it was a nesting female and I shall be leaving that heap undisturbed now for the next month or so having watched this video.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed the video and great news about that snake, this time of year she most likely does have eggs so you are doing the right thing, great stuff :)

[@johnrichardson1796]

Great video, thanks 👍

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate, my pleasure :)

[@johntims2416]

Fished Packington trout fishery a few years ago the banks around the edge were alive with hundreds of grass snakes looked like the bushes were alive .Fascinating to see it

[@fishingandherping7681]

Wow I'd have loved to see and film a sight like that :)

[@nathanrupley]

I'm from Pennsylvania in the US. We have a lot more snakes than you all do. That being said, those Natrix helvetica are super cool. They remind me of a mix between our water snakes and garter snakes.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Ah yeah we're certainly jealous of the herpetological diversity you guys have :) and yeah the point you raise about the similarity to your Thamnophis and Nerodia species is certainly one we have also noticed. Some people even refer to grass snakes as the european garter snakes and there is clear convergent evolution occuring between them :)

[@nathanrupley]

@@fishingandherping7681 Yeah, I wouldn't trade our diversity of reptiles, but our herpetoculture and the culture surrounding it is miles behind you all. Am I correct that Nerodia used to be part of Natrix?

[@fishingandherping7681]

@@nathanrupley Don't blame you! and yes I believe the North American water snakes used to be considered members of the Natrix genus :)

[@LordBransty]

I live in the UK but travelled to Pa for twenty years in a row to play golf near Pittsburgh. When we visited in hot spells, we usually saw a snake or two every day. Lovely place!

[@N330AA]

Good vid. The snakes of Old North Wales not quite as spicy as the snakes of New South Wales.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Haha can't argue with you there, would love to herp over there, got plans for a trip in late 2023 :) Cheers mate

[@N330AA]

@@fishingandherping7681 go for it, will be awesome

[@anythingoldmechanical]

Superb!!! I moved to North Wales, and live close to Prestatyn but I have yet to find ANY reptiles. A far cry from teesside where reptiles inc Adders can be spotted in most areas of the countryside! Where is this area please?

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate, appreciate you watching, not spent too much time in Prestatyn so can't recommend much around you I'm afraid. In terms of this location I can't give away any sites however the correct habitat throughout the conwy/gwynedd counties should yield great herping :)

[@haydnevans8968]

Class video mate

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate, appreciate you watching :)

[@jamesdiack9876]

I'm 11 i own a ball python and a corn snake and I've only ever caught 1 grass snake and he musked all over me great video and very educational

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks very much appreciate you watching the vid and thanks for the kind words, I started reptile keeping with ball pythons too, and yeah I don't think I've caught any that didn't musk a fair bit :)

[@77tegu]

How beautiful are slow worms

[@fishingandherping7681]

Completely agree :)

[@grantpaterson8963]

great video mate

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thanks mate! Hope to be able to make more this year :)

[@YJ-7]

Amazing video, thanks for uploading. Because of the Corona virus I've not been able to travel with my dad to go herping. I also agree with observing and not handling. (Unless you know how to )

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou and no problem, glad you liked it. Yeah I feel your pain there, I had trips to morocco, greece and northern india planned and they all fell through, hopefully soon we'll be back to normal though :)

[@aquacrystal1122]

Those are some amazing herps, man! Even though we’ve got a bit more herp diversity here in Boston, MA, (we don’t have lizards here though) I still feel the urge to go out and herp in the UK. In my time in the UK, I’ve only found a Common Frog. I’d love to find some slow worms or grass snakes! Keep up the good work!

[@fishingandherping7681]

Ah yeah we're certainly jealous of the diversity of herpetofauna over there, and that's great. Herping in the UK can be a bit difficult depending on where in the country you are but on the right day in good habitat it can be very productive for those species :)

[@aquacrystal1122]

@@fishingandherping7681 Yep, same thing here. You can go hours without finding stuff some days, and on a day with pretty bad conditions, you may find multiple uncommon - rare species within 30 minutes!

[@fishingandherping7681]

@@aquacrystal1122 Thats it mate, wouldn't have it any other way, keeps it interesting :)

[@aquacrystal1122]

@@fishingandherping7681 Yea, I’d have to agree despite how frustrating it is.

[@MikeE55]

Hi Great video. I'm from North Wales and have been looking for Adders for 10 years with no success.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Thankyou :) yeah they took me a few years but with good habitat ID you should succeed, definitely in a good area :) bit late in the year now though

[@MikeE55]

@@fishingandherping7681 Are you prepared to tell me where the site was so a can take a look in the spring. I'm in Flintshire,North Wales.

[@fishingandherping7681]

@@MikeE55 I can't reveal the location of any specific sites I'm afraid but throughout that area any locations which provide the right habitat will likely hold these species and you should have some success! :)

[@1982Euphoria]

Those first two lizards you spotted were sand lizards! They do live in wales. Check the markings. Totally different to common lizards

[@fishingandherping7681]

I'm afraid you're incorrect they're common lizards, I wouldn't put up an ID if I wasn't 100% sure. Sand lizards are not even present at the location this was filmed at. I appreciate advice and constructive criticism but if you don't know you lizard species please refrain from commenting before doing some research, happy herping

[@adhdgamer6862]

Ive only ever held a few grass snakes but thats because ive seen alot of videos on how to handle snakes and i used to have a corn snake

[@fishingandherping7681]

Ah yeah, good stuff mate :)

[@im1withnature]

Is the slow worm in the same family as the glass lizzard from south florida,scientific genus Ophisaurus.

[@fishingandherping7681]

Yes it is, they're both in the Anguidae family :)

[@stefanostokatlidis4861]

Very nice animals. But why do you insist so much I’m not catching them? Slowworms are quite good candidate for handling. They are very sturdy and cannot get damaged easily. There are so few interactive European herpers. That is why I am mostly watching American content. They actually feel what they’re doing.

[@fishingandherping7681]

I prefer not to encourage handling where it is not necessary, while it may be possible to handle these animals it will always cause a certain amount of stress, minimising this stress wherever possible is part of responsible herping in my opinion however everyone is entitled to their own views on the topic. Feeling what you're doing can often have negative impacts on the animal in question, I just like to avoid that unless I deem handling beneficial, eg. moving animals off roads or footpaths, data collection for research etc.

[@rory5780]

What camera are you using?

[@robfall4666]

Adder

[@bribro5763]

Just as a note, please don’t encourage the disturbance of refugia unless you have the site owners/management teams’ permission (such as ARC/Wildlife Trust). Only because it likely disrupts national monitoring efforts of herps and by causing too much disturbance. This is from personal experience carrying out reptile surveys in North Wales! A few of our sites have seen a lot of ‘traffic’ during lockdown where people have been flipping our mats which has completely diminished reptile counts in these areas, thanks! Please record all sightings to Cofnod/record pool, particularly for the sand lizards and natterjack toads where sightings are extremely important.

[@fishingandherping7681]

I completely agree, the increased traffic of refugia can negatively affect the surveying efforts and I’d never wish to encourage the disturbance of refugia. However I was one of the people who laid these refugia and they were purely for a project ran by our University and was carried out with the landowners permission. I’m purposefully discrete about the location of this site to reduce people coming and disturbing the inhabitants. Although it would be hypocritical of me not to encourage responsible herping in this country as I absolutely love it. But I completely understand your concerns and thankyou for watching the video! 😊

[@bribro5763]

Fishing and Herping that’s awesome, glad to see a responsible herper (after many negative encounters I’ve experienced this year), shame you didn’t see adders! Looks like an incredible site

[@annamichellecourt9333]

Hello. I've got a grass snake in my house. Any advice on how to get it to go out would be great. Thanks.

[@fishingandherping7681]

So they are perfectly safe to pick up, just make sure you are positive that it is a grass snake not an adder first. Then I would recommend using a pillowcase as a bag to put it in for moving it to a suitable location which your local reptile and amphibian group on facebook should be able to advise you on. Where abouts are you if you are close I can come out to you and deal with it. Hope that helps

[@annamichellecourt9333]

@@fishingandherping7681 Well it looked like one. But it didn't really behave like one. We tried to go up to him to put him in a plastic bowl and he was quite an aggressive little bugger. He started sort of standing up to my son (18 years old) not standing up but he went straight and raised his head off the ground. It went towards him rather than backed off. There was no smell and he definitely did not play dead. We stopped trying to catch him because we were scared and then he went into a hole behind the skirting board. My dads been over took the skirting board offand he's gone underneath the house. I noticed in your video that the snake you were handling was very placid. This snake was not behaving like this at all. It was very aggressive and didn't seem afraid to go towards my son. Its still in the house somewhere, I don't know where though. Will he find his own way out? I'm in wales. Carmarthenshire. Thank you for replying. Also was quite big. I watched another video before yours and it was bigger than all the grass snakes in that video. But it defo had a yellow collar. I thought I was videoing the whole thing but I didn't press record properly. I have a 4 year old. Bit worried about him because as I have said he was quite an aggressive fellow.

[@fishingandherping7681]

@@annamichellecourt9333 They may behave differently in this scenario as the snake will be extremely stressed out and feel cornered and threatened leading to the defensive behaviour. Without a picture it's hard for me to say if its a grass snake or not although they do grow significantly larger than the one in this video so it is plausible, however there is a chance it is an escaped pet snake of a different species. It may find its way back out if its under your house although it may end up returning through the skirting board if there is no way out. I'm in Lancashire so unfortunately I can't get to you at the moment so I think the best course of action is to get in touch with a member of the committee of the relevant amphibian and reptile group which for your area is a group titled "South and West Wales Amphibian and Reptile Group (SWWARG)" on facebook and they should be able to get someone to you to help you out as it may be a snake of any species. Also if there are any reptile or animal sanctuaries in your local area, a call to them may also get someone out to you to help.

[@annamichellecourt9333]

Thanks so much. Hopefully he will find his own way out. I've set up our "puppy cam" to record the spot he went into so if he comes out that way the camera has motion sensors so will send me a notification if there is movement in that area so hopefully if he does come back out I will know about it. I'll pop onto Facebook now and ask if someone can be in standby and if he comes out I will just leave him to it. Wait until an someone can help and hopefully get him caught that way. We must have petrified the poor thing but we were scared too. Hopefully he finds his own way out. But dad seems to think he won't get out that way and will be back. Hence the puppy cam lol. Thanks for replying so quickly and being so helpful. I'm very grateful 🙏

[@fishingandherping7681]

@@annamichellecourt9333 You're very welcome, always appreciate people doing the right thing and asking advice rather than risking harming or killing the snake while relocating it, as you say, it'll be extremely scared and stressed but by handling the situation sensibly it should turn out ok for all parties :) Puppy cam sounds like it should shed more light on the snake if it comes back and then you'll be equipped to get it dealt with :) If you do capture any pictures or videos feel free to send them to me on "reptiles.ig" on instagram and I should be able to help out with an ID. Thanks again

[@NJNJ-in3xy]

Are you sure that wasn’t a normal grass snake ? As oppose to a barred one?

[@fishingandherping7681]

Yes mate, all British grass snakes and some of the western European populations have been reclassified as N.helvetica, the barred grass snake :)

[@NJNJ-in3xy]

@@fishingandherping7681 does that mean there is no such thing as Natrix Natrix anymore?

[@fishingandherping7681]

@@NJNJ-in3xy No there is still a Natrix natrix but that species is the Central- Eastern European grass snakes :)

[@NJNJ-in3xy]

@@fishingandherping7681 ohhhh so all UK grass snakes are the same one now being Natrix hevetica?

[@fishingandherping7681]

@@NJNJ-in3xy Yes that's correct :)

[@bengarrionphoenix4207]

I'm loving my homeland herpers but please stop sounding so ' nigel the train spotter' ish xx😂 not hating just wish you'd use PASSION AND ELECTRIC in your delivery cx❤️❤️❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿reptiles are AMAZING AND COLOURFUL make your posts COLOURFUL. No hate just 'make me watch more'!❤️❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@harveytweats2119]

I think that was a male sand lizard. Thick tail base and a faint green.

[@johnny545]

Slow worms are not reptiles bro

[@fishingandherping7681]

Yes they are

[@matthewmcnamee4563]

They are mate