It’s that time of year- the snakes are on the move again

[Gulfalan67]

in the last few days midday temperatures here have climbed into the high 30s. Evening are becoming warmer and more humid as the buildup approaches. And of course, with their breeding season approaching, the Snakes are on the move again.

And The Boy is totally across it. These last couple he’s been alerting us to every snake movement around the house, even when he is inside, from their sound alone!!!

Just now my wife and I were drinking tea and munching on freshly baked blueberry cake in the kitchen. The Boy suddenly leapt up and gave his snake alert warning on the northern side of the kitchen. He is well below the level of windows so can’t see outside but he can hear their movement, distinguishing between them and the sound of other animals like lizards toads and mammals.

I said ‘that’s a snake’, so my wife pokes her head out a window, where The Boy has indicated, shines her torch and sure enough sees an elapid snake on the ground, just slithering under the house. I reckon it’s a western brown, my ecologist mate reckons it’s a pygmy king brown but either way, not one to poke a stick at.

But have to congratulate The Boy as the sharpest snake detector in northern Australia!

Alan

 

[Gulfalan67]

A different one, spotted on my way back from the workshop to the house.

This little tiddly worm is called a Death Adder. Bloody ugly if you ask me. Give me a Brownsnake any day…

Alan

 

[38thfoot]

Can you get a pet mongoose?

 

[Gulfalan67]

Can you get a pet mongoose?

I would love a pet mongoose.

But in Aussie we have strict biosecurity about bringing in non native species. Truth is my wife and I built our home on some of finest snake habitat in Australia and we have to live with the consequences of that decision. Luckily the worms here are passive and so mainly stay out of our way. We don’t provoke them and so coexist OK. We just need to be mindful about where we step at night, or sticking our hands into dark crevices or hollows. Just common sense really, equally true anywhere.

Our next door neighbour recently got nipped by a brownsnake doing her gardening. It must have been a dry bite because she lived

Alan

 

[Ark79]

The hair ( only got one now) on the back of my neck is standing up just looking at the pictures Alan, good job your boy is on his game

 

[PowysMike]

I would love a pet mongoose.

But in Aussie we have strict biosecurity about bringing in non native species.

With good reason, it’s not just bloody rats and rabbits they have problems with. They learned from early mistakes.

 

[Gulfalan67]

With good reason, it’s not just bloody rats and rabbits they have problems with. They learned from early mistakes.
View attachment 162637

Absolutely Mike. We have many disasterous feral animal incursions. From my perspective the absolute worst is cats. They are a much more efficient predator than anything in Australia evolved to contend with and are decimating our native fauna

To be honest I wouldn’t mind giving a home to a couple of elephants or rhino here. They would suit this country well

We can only dream….

Alan

 

[PowysMike]

Absolutely Mike. We have many disasterous feral animal incursions. From my perspective the absolute worst is cats. They are a much more efficient predator than anything in Australia evolved to contend with and are decimating our native fauna

To be honest I wouldn’t mind giving a home to a couple of elephants or rhino here. They would suit this country well

We can only dream….

Alan

There are strong arguments for getting domestic cats neutered but I wouldn’t be without them where we live.

 

[Paul N]

In the countryside barn cats are an essential weapon against rats and mice etc. In the towns and cities they are a still the same predator, but in this case they decimate the small bird population. I would like to see them neutered - and licenced like dogs.

 

[PowysMike]

When cats learn to fly I will worry about the birds. Our delightful little woodland friends like hedgehogs, squirrels and deer account for as much predation without mentioning the magpies

 

[Gulfalan67]

My dear old dad, now very nearly 100 always called cats ‘predators’. And he only knew the domestic urban variety that preyed on his beloved birds.

Here in north Australia we are witnessing a catastrophic collapse in native small mammals, closely related to the activities of feral cats. It’s really awful.

Funnily enough, within a 3km radius of our homestead small mammals are abundant and cats are absent….

The Boy sees to that.

Alan

 

[Gulfalan67]

So I walked out to the shed last night. Luckily before opening the door I turned on the outside light and saw this colourful fella perched on the top of the door. Had I not turned on the light and just opened the door and stepped in, there of have been a moment of excitement for both man and worm…

It’s a pretty brown tree snake, relatively harmless…

 

[Gulfalan67]

One from the path to the shower this afternoon.

Very common and completely harmless. Actually a type of legless lizard. We call him ‘Legolas’.

 

[Gulfalan67]

Probably our prettiest snake, very common around and sometimes inside the house. The Green Tree snake. A small one View attachment 166478 snapped on the driveway this morning.

 

[Gulfalan67]

Sorry it didn’t attach first time.

 

[Gulfalan67]

After the plague of Brownsnakes under the house earlier this year I’ve decided to put out a sign. We don’t often have visitors, but it might prompt a bit of caution before people reach into dark spaces or wander along the escarpment at night.

Not sure where to situate it, on the track driving in or immediately at the house and environs.

 

[Matt]

need to get one of those signs for my house

 

[Ark79]

need to get one of those signs for my house

I’ll no be at your hoos then sir

 

[G1ZmO]

Watch out for that black 'electro-snake'

 

[PowysMike]

After the plague of Brownsnakes under the house earlier this year I’ve decided to put out a sign. We don’t often have visitors, but it might prompt a bit of caution before people reach into dark spaces or wander along the escarpment at night.

Not sure where to situate it, on the track driving in or immediately at the house and environs.

View attachment 166536

It might be good on the track if you have snakes that sun themselves on the road surface. Some drivers can be a bit careless.