On a recent trip to the Fischland-Darss-Zingst Peninsula (German Baltic coast), I came across various specimens of grass snake (Natrix natrix), a glorious sighting. Concealed under the dry ferns bordering the trail, the non-venomous snakes were busy mating and let me take a few pictures of them from a very close distance.
Credit: Yalakom
Mating. Credit: Yalakom
Here is a female with two males. Note the strong sexual dimorphism: the female is much bigger than the males. Males are not agressive to one another. Credit: Yalakom
Credit: Yalakom
Credit: Yalakom
Credit: Yalakom
Location: Fischer-Darss-Zingst Peninsula, Germany
Yalakom 
Snakes!!
Now, there’s something I like more than bugs, that is snakes! Beautiful creatures!
18-200mm does quite a decent for macro too it seems.
You are on a roll with “sexy nature” theme lately haha, first duck threesome, now mating snakes? What might we see next week? 😛
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Ahaha true, sexy nature… and one more coming up soon :p it is spring after all 🙂 Snakes are very cool, I like them a lot too. I got to play with two captive ones a couple years ago, had them around for a whole evening, fell asleep with one of them on me, and of course it ran away…
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The lens is 55-200mm, it does well for big enough things, not for bugs. I get frustrated for macro shots even but even more so when I need a wide angle, which happened quite a bit lately, landscapes you know…
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Ah yes, it’s not 18mm, I had it mixed up. Indeed, especially with a APS-C sensor, 55 is too tight for landscape. I have the Sigma 18-35mm as a general purpose, the Lake District photos were taken using it, I still think that’s not wide enough at 18mm. That’s why I’ve bought a 10mm Samyang lens, all of my aurora photos were taken using that, it gets a whole lot of scenery in for not too much buck
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Captive ones? Did you catch them? What species were they? I hope you managed to find them again haha, otherwise they might turn up to surprise your guests one day 😛
I look forward to more spring frolicking of the frisky animals 😉
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Really, 18mm not enough? That’s good to know. I would be glad to have either a wide angle or macro but can’t invest too much right now!
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They were young pythons, a male and a female. The female was really gentle, that’s the one than ran off in the apartment but she was found 🙂
I hope you like the next few blogs then 🙂
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If you have more photos of snakes doing the business I’m sure I’d love them! Haha 😀
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Quite a few makers do things around 10-24, or 11-16, those would be superb for landscape I think. Some of the are affordable, whilst others, not so much
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Ahah I’m afraid that is all, I watched them for a while tho, but they were really hidden in the ferns, not good for pics!
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