Snake Professional...the right gear for the job

When catching or working with venomous snakes, it's important to keep a safe and sensible distance between you and the reptile in question. This will normally involve some form of specialised gear, usually tongs, hooks, gloves etc.

I've collected a variety of all of the above over the years, some good, some not so good. But when you are searching for species with potentially life changing, disfiguring or even potentially deadly venom, you have to use the very best equipment you can get. This is where Snake Professionals come in. If you regularly go looking for reptiles, chances are you've already heard of them. Snake Professionals are the no.1 source in the UK for quality field herping supplies and is run by the very amicable Clem and Maureen.

(Mrs)Santa was very kind to me and procured a new 40 " collapsible tong and extendable hook for future trips and boy are they good! I've purchased from Snake Professional before and I can't fault their service.

40" collapsible M1 Tong and extendable hook
Easy to pack in the suitcase for trips abroad.

Simple and quick to assemble in the field.

There are no external cables or moving mechanism exposed
for snakes to get entangled in.

Snake Professionals adapt their tongs with this super spongy foam/rubber
padding, which minimises any risk of harming the snake and ensures a good grip.

The smart blue aluminium tubing of the tongs houses the cable connecting the handle to the jaws and thus eliminates the possibility of a snake getting entangled. They are extremely well made and feel very durable - I'm a great believer in 'you get what you pay for'. Though not cheap, these will last a lifetime and are well worth the investment if you are a regular herper. They are certainly the best available in the UK and I can't wait to try them out next year!

Little Bunting...

I've had a real nightmare trying to catch up with Little Bunting over the last few years. Having not seen one for many years (and having managed to dip more than a few), the news of one actually showing well at Portland yesterday gave me a bit of hope that I might finally put that ghost to rest.

As soon as it was reported again this morning I gave Dave Helliar a ring and by late morning we were watching this incredibly confiding individual. A very smart individual at that. I make no apology for the number of photos below, it was such a pleasure to watch :-)

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

oh, just one more then - Little Bunting, Chiswell, Portland, Dorset

The light was very poor and it was blowing a hooey but a little bit of video was in order too:

Not many people watching it when we were there but sadly there's always one who has to try and get closer than everyone else (no prizes for naming him - I think most local birders will know him). A stark reminder of why I don't really twitch birds anymore as this sort of behaviour really winds me up. 

Why is it the people with the BIG lenses have to get the closest?

If only all photographers were as ethical as Weymouth local John Wall (definitely NOT him above BTW). I hadn't seen him for some considerable time but what a great guy who really cares about not disturbing the birds he's photographing. Check out his Twitter feed @Wawlee.