Snakes and Martens

Drogo, Pine Marten

Our busy summer continues at the Centre. All good for us of course, but means less time with my camera. However, that time I have had I have been very pleased with what I have managed to take. 

Above is one of my favourite portrait photos of Drogo, our newest male pine marten at the Centre. Isn't he a handsome chap?

Bonnie and Clyde have been busy eating the plums that have fallen in to their enclosure, so I thought I would try the others on them too. Seems they all like them, and Drogo in particular couldn't get enough of them :-)

It was difficult to get any good photos of him eating them, but fun none the less just watching him go about his business.

The other time I took my camera out was to witness something I have never seen before... a female adder give birth to her live young. We have had adder babies born here in the past, but never have I seen the actual birth. This year I did though, a first and quite possibly a last, and by chance I had my camera with me. The photos are not great as she was in an awkward place in the enclosure, but just seeing it was enough for me and I didn't want to get too close and disturb her.

This is seconds after birth with the membraneous egg sac still visible covering the little neonate.

You can see how small he is next to mum, and perhaps more so on the sand in the photo below.

They can have up to double figures in a single birth, and we know of at least six that were born last week. If you want to hear more about it or see more photos have a look on the BWC Blog, tabbed above under the banner, and check back in the archives about a week from the date of this post.

Feisty little things, but great fun to watch and photograph.

Thanks for looking :-)