Any port in a storm

While checking over the boat last night before the typhoon struck today, I found this fellow resting, curled up around the engine control leads.    The picture is not very clear but it is a baby Burmese Python of around two feet in length.    I have no idea where he came from or how long he had been living on the boat either.   Anyhow, he was duly set adrift to find his home elsewhere.

Mui Wo Python

I caught this beauty last year.   All afternoon the dogs next door had been making a right old racket  running and barking and generally making it very obvious something was not right.   I had a look about a couple of times but never saw the snake.   By the evening the dogs had quietened down and it was the turn of our neighbours to start making a racket.    The python had ended up on a concrete yard and found not find its way out.    Someone had brought out a rice sack that was obviously far too small to put it in and none was brave enough to go near it.   I grabbed a wheel bin and laid it on its side next to the by now very pissed off poor snake's head.   Luckily it went in side and when enough of it was in I stood the bin up and the snake was safe and out of harms way.   Eventually it was carted away by the cops.   Hopefully it was released back into the wild and did not end up in some police canteen's hot pot.

News snake sighting

Over at Mui Wo I was lucky to meet my first Copperhead racer snake.  Alerted by our neighbor who was franticly ringing our doorbell .  I eventually worked out what was wrong when the snake made a dash for freedom by zooming off towards the undergrowth from its hiding place behind the plant pots.   I guess it was between 1 and 1.5m long and its markings were clear and bright.   The dark stripes down its sides were in high contrast to its lighter shade skin.  Although not venomous the snake is known to be quick to strike out in defense.   The photo below is not the actual snake but lifted from the internet.

Burmese python - Mui Wo

This snake slithered onto next door's front yard area in Mui Wo, yesterday evening.  During the afternoon the usually placid dogs that laze around in the garden next door were frantic, barking and generally very very excited.   I had a rake around in the shrubs nearby but never saw a thing.   Maybe I need my eyes testing as the python was appeared to be 7 or 8 feet long,  See the shoes in the pictures for a scale reference.   I grabbed an empty wheely bin and put it on its side next to the snake's head.   Within a few seconds it had taken the hint and was coiled up inside so I simply righted the bin and closed the lid.   Eventually the cops turned up and the snake was put into a rice sack and they carried it away.

  

Nearly trod on this blighter today

I had to walk over to the house today to chcek on some plumbing works.  It was baking hot and I was walking quite slowly so probably not making much noise or vibration on the concrete path as I slothed along.  Nipper the ever faithdul pooch was dawdling along behind me when a beautiful, red necked keel backed snake, about two to three feet long slithered onto the path in front of me.  I barely had time to stop walking, I was so close to it.  Another step and I would have certainly stood on it if had not been looking.  Nipper took absolutely no notice of it all (thankfully).  It's apparently not lethal but does deliver a venomous bite.  The snake eventually took refuge in the leaf litter at the side of the path where despite its colourful markings it had superb camouflage.

Snakes alive - This time a Burmese Python

Amazing, utterly amazing. We must have now seen nearly all species of snakes there are to see in Hong Kong and all within 50 yards fo our front door steps.

On Friday a 2m plus python was discovered in the neighbour's chicken coop. The snake had somehow slithered in and helped itself to a plump chicken. Photos coming when extracted from the mobile phone. How do we know how long it was? Read on. ..

Sadly though, the snake's appearance was less than welcome by our neighbour and before we had a chance to intervene and rescue the snake, the neighbors stepped in and smacked the ppor creature on the back of its head with a very large and rather sharp garden hoe. Suffice to say, the blow killed the snake and the chicken had been well and truly choked.

Another Snake to add to the collection

A common water snake. Harmless to man but quite an angry little snake that will try and bite you. Rarely seen on land and nearly always found in water. This poor fellah was discovered munching on tadpoles that were in a water barrel. We hooked it out of the water on a stick to take the photos. Although a water snake it does not have the paddle shaped tail like the marine versions.

Snakes alive Again! & more little creatures

The first of May is Labour Day over here in Hong Kong and noone works. Its a family day whihc for us means spending time outside. Well we did just that, back down to MKT to continue with renovations. Although it is now quite hot, the humidity is not too unbearable yet so we have been busy clearing back the scrub and bushes in front of the house. We never knew so many creatures enjoyed our little garden. Perhpas creatures celebrate Labour Day as well? In one day we discovered:
Praying Mantis - everywhere

Stink bugs - These a funny bugs that have what looks like a brightly painted shield on their backs, trouble is if they get scared they wee on you and not only does it smell but it is quite caustic and can bring you out in a deep red , firey rash for a few days.
Cicadas - Thes fellahs, live in the ground for up to seven years, then dig themselves out, climb up into a tree, sing, attract a mate, do the do and then die, all in a matter of days.
House Geckos - I like these little geckos, they eat mosquitos
Pale Geckos - These too
Skink - this too
Changeable Lizards - one was about a foot or more long and was clearly non plussed when the bush he was sat on was chopped down. We know it was a male as he had a bright red colouration to the underside of his throat.
Malayan Bull frogs, one of which had magnificent orange side patterns. These big fat frogs are also called Cow frogs as when they call they really do sound like a cow. They live in damp soil and a re big, six or seven centimetres or more. when calling normally they find a drain or a culvert to sit in which really helps their calls resonate.
Common toads - well common but wortth seeing
And
Two bamboo pit vipers - Neither were very big, perhaps 16 inches but a beautiful vivid green on top and a yellow underside and a pale orange tail. Not big but venomous so one was sent into the woods to the side and the other slithered away. People can confuse these snakes with another green snake that is a little less common but harmless. So if it is bright green and has an orange coloured tail then avoid it, if it is solid green then it should be harmless. However, noone should be picking up any snakes. We also saw the following birds:
Drongo - Must be building a nest nearby as they flit past every two minutes heading for the trees behind
Mynah birds - lots (but not the Hill Mynahs you see in pet shops)
Kite - cruising
Buzzard - cruising
Sanderling - three of them down on the beach
Little Egret - about sixty or more in a large slow flock flapping lazily off somewhere

Snakes Alive!

Nuch and I were doing some weeding in front of the house at MKT today and out rolled this little fellow from under the leaves. Probably no more than 10cm long but beautifully marked.

What is it?
A white spotted slug snake

Is it venomous?
Not at all

Is it rare?
Apparently not at all

What did we do with it?
We evicited it from the garden and put it in the bushes down by the stream.

I am sure it will be back though as there are slugs aplenty.