Portland Miscellany - Wheatears, Wall Lizards and a Grey Seal

(Northern) Wheatear - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

 A visit to Portland Bill rarely disappoints, and today's sunny weather was enough to lure the family down for a walk, lunch and some wildlife watching. Reports of good numbers of Wheatears on the Portland Bird Observatory website (link) meant that this neat migrant was top of my wish list. And it didn't take long to spot one, perched on a roadside boulder near the Bill car park. I would have to wait a little bit longer for a decent image, however; the above photo was taken on the coast path heading up the east side of the 'island' (actually not an island, but that's what everyone calls it) just north of the beach huts. It was one of an estimated 10-15 that I saw on the fields and in the nearby quarries. This is good news: the Spring migration is up and running.

One of Portland's great selling points is the diversity of wildlife that can turn up. Whilst enjoying the background chatter of Skylark song and watching Rock Pipits flit along the shoreline we noticed a Grey Seal's muzzle sticking out of the water, close in to the shore (below). A fine set of whiskers were on display.

Grey Seal 'bottling' - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

This common behaviour is known as 'bottling' - as it apparently resembles a floating bottle - and it allows the seal to rest, and even sleep, with minimal exertion. Its eyes (not visible in this photo) were near to the waterline, and may even have been shut. It may have heard us, as it raised its head up and gave us a rather penetrating stare (below) before diving. 

Grey Seal 'bottling' - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

I've written before about Portland's Wall Lizards (see a blog about recent sightings here and a more detailed one about identifying British lizards here). These non-native reptiles are a charming and visible addition to the local fauna, and it's always great to have an encounter. The jury remains out as to whether they have a harmful effect on native reptiles, by the way; this certainly can't be ruled out. But, as I've previously commented, they appear to occupy a distinctly different 'niche' to Common (or Viviparous) Lizards their nearest likely competitor, while their colonies on the south coast of England are well-separated from the heathland domain of the threatened Sand Lizard.

Anyway, we went looking for Wall Lizards in one of the quarries next to the coast path on the eastern side of the island, a place with several previous sightings. Although the day was sunny, a cool easterly breeze wasn't ideal for these ectothermic creatures - ectothermic meaning that they rely on external heat sources. On that point: reptiles are commonly called 'cold-blooded' - I've done it myself - but this isn't fully accurate. To be properly active, they need to reach a certain blood temperature, which in Britain is around 25-30 degrees Celsius (Inns, 2009). Obviously, such temperatures cannot be guaranteed in our chilly latitudes, even sometimes during the British summer. Today on Portland it was considerably colder, perhaps 15 degrees at the most. However, reptiles are very good at extracting what heat they can from the surrounding environment, mainly by basking in the sunshine but also by flattening themselves against warm surfaces. This morning, the best place to look for Wall Lizards was therefore in a sunny but crucially sheltered corner of the quarry. And that's where we found a couple:

Common Wall Lizard - Portland, Dorset, UK

Common Wall Lizard - Portland, Dorset, UK

The mottled pattern on the back suggests that both lizards are males, although only the second one was showing the characteristic yellow-green colour that accompanies the breeding season. Wall Lizards, and indeed Common Lizards, are relatively quick off the mark in that regard compared to Sand Lizards which will usually not begin to mate until April at the earliest. (As it happens, I saw my first Sand Lizard of the year while surveying on the Purbeck Heaths this week; it was a male without any evidence of green colouration.)

Before leaving the island we revisited the Wall Lizard colony at Cheyne Weares (further up the island's east side) that was the subject of my previous blog. By now, the sun had moved into the western sky and much of the roadside wall was in shadow. But we still found eight individuals making the most of the sunshine, including these two:

 

Wall Lizard - Cheyne Weares, Portland, Dorset, UK

Wall Lizard - Cheyne Weares, Portland, Dorset, UK

The obvious stripes on the back of each individual suggest that they are both females - although please let me know if you disagree. Also present in this colony were several much smaller lizards, likely last year's juveniles that have successfully overwintered.

As ever, Portland delivered on the wildlife front - and we had an excellent lunch at the Lobster Pot, too. With Spring now getting into gear, it won't be long before I'm back.

Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

References

Beebee, T. & Griffith, R. (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles (New Naturalist Series) London: HarperCollins.

Inns, H. (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians Wildguides

Text and images (c) Mike Hetherington

 

Crossbills at Affpuddle

Common Crossbill male - Affpuddle Heath, Dorset UK 16.3.26

2026 is looking like being a good year for Crossbills here in Dorset, UK. The Common Crossbill is a scarce breeder in the county, but can occur in greater numbers during 'irruption' years. It's a species that I have had little luck with. Despite regular reports of the birds being present at a particular site near Affpuddle, three previous visits all drew blanks.  So I wasn't too hopeful about this morning's trip - but it turns out that my fortunes had changed.

Affpuddle forest - Crossbill country

Affpuddle Forest (strictly Affpuddle and Moreton Forest) sits on a low ridge separating the valleys of the Rivers Piddle and Frome in West Dorset. Formerly heathland, the area has been extensively planted with conifers, mostly Scots Pine. Several open areas remain, largely grassland dotted with Gorse bushes. Part of the land is managed by Forestry England, and has open access, while other areas are crossed by public footpaths and bridleways. Car parks are provided at Culpepper's Dish, a surprisingly large sinkhole of some geological interest, and on the B3390 south of Affpuddle village. 

I parked at the second of these and started walking eastwards towards Culpepper's Dish. It was about 0830 in the morning, and there was sporadic birdsong in the woodland: mostly Robins and Siskins along with a distant lone Yellowhammer. A small group of Long-tailed Tits flicked past.

Reaching the stand of trees pictured above I noticed some movement high in the canopy. Several birds were feeding on pine cones while others flew between the tree tops in small groups of two or three. Even at some distance I could see that they were Crossbills: rather chunkier than most other finches and showing flashes of red (males) and a dull yellow (females). Every now and again a larger movement would see ten or more birds flying to another tree. They were very mobile, but never went more than around 50 metres from my original sighting. 

It was a dull morning with a light drizzle, and the light wasn't great. I was resigned to only getting distant treetop views, when a small group flew down and sat obligingly in a smaller pine tree , dotted like Christmas decorations (below).

Common Crossbill group - Affpuddle Heath, Dorset UK 16.3.26

Even better, one male flew even closer and perched on the top of a leading shoot right next to the road (below). Despite the gloomy conditions, his brick-red colour stood out.  

Common Crossbill male - Affpuddle Heath, Dorset UK 16.3.26

The lack of cones on these smaller trees suggested that the birds had flown down to get a drink, so I  stationed myself at a respectful distance from a suitable puddle (below). There are no shortage of these at the moment; Dorset has had a memorably wet winter.

Crossbill refreshment opportunity

It worked - and I'd picked the right puddle. Around 15 Crossbills dropped down into a couple of Silver Birch trees next to the track, visible at first only as silhouttes (below).

Common Crossbills in Silver Birch

It wasn't long before they began to drop down for a quick drink. Both males ...

... and the rather less showy females:

All in all, I estimated that there were at least 20 individuals present, although there could have been more. I never saw the entire group at once. This is a good number: the most recent Dorset Bird Report (2024) lists 'significant counts' as being 10 individuals or over, and there are only three records of as many as 20 for that year. It looks likely that 2026 will be rather better - we shall wait and see.

Reference

Dorset Bird Report 2024 - Dorset Bird Club (published December 2025)

Searching for Early Spring Reptiles (and more)

Common Wall Lizard (male) sunbathing - Portland, Dorset, UK - 25 February 2026

After what has seemed like an endless succession of miserable, rain-sodden days, the sun has finally put in an appearance down here in Dorset. Spring is on its way, and this means that it's time to start looking for wildlife that has been hiding away over the winter months. The moth trap has been out (that's one for a separate blog), the first butterflies have been sighted and the hunt for reptiles has begun.

My searches for our cold-blooded friends have comprised both casual wanderings around likely sites in my corner of Dorset and structured survey work for the RSPB and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) on the Poole Harbour basin heathlands carried out under licence, given the presence of protected reptile species in those areas. 

In terms of casual sightings, a walk around the Isle of Portland (not strictly an island, but that's how it's usually known) a few days ago was especially productive. I have written before about Common Wall Lizards (usually just called Wall Lizards in the UK) - here's a link to my blog. They are not native to Great Britain but appear to be thriving in a number of small colonies along the south coast, one of which can be found at Cheyne Weares on the eastern side of Portland. We have seen Wall Lizards here before in late February, and as it was a warm and sunny day, the chances of sightings seemed good.

Satisfyingly, this particular colony occupies a wall - in this case, a wall that is backed by thick scrub along a quarry edge that provides both shelter and foraging opportunities for the lizards. The first that we spotted is pictured at the top this blog, its body flattened out against the rock to maximise heat gain. The relatively thick head and mottled pattern on the back suggests that this is a male (but do let me know if you disagree). He remained quite still, apparently unbothered by our attention, and we left him to his basking.

As we walked on next to the wall, more lizards began to appear, beginning with another male:

Common Wall Lizard (male) - Portland, Dorset, UK - 25 February 2026 

This lizard had just emerged from a crevice between the stones and was clearly more alert to potential danger. Just after I took this photo, he beat a hasty retreat and vanished into cover.

Nearby, a nice group of three was rather more relaxed, allowing us to observe from a suitable distance:

Common Wall Lizards (female, male, juvenile) - Portland, Dorset, UK - 25 February 2026 

These are (from left to right) a female, a male and a juvenile; the difference between the mottled back of the male and the plainer, striped colouration of the female is easily seen. In total we saw 11 Wall Lizards along this stretch of wall, easily our highest number here. All of the males had the brownish background colour shown in the above photographs. As you'll see from my other Wall Lizard blog, males from this population can develop greener colours and a blue underside during the breeding season in April and May. What we were seeing here might have been one of the colony's first excursions into the outside world after the chilly (and wet) winter period. 

Formal transect surveys under ARC's National Reptile Survey are not due to begin until later this month. However, both ARC and RSPB organise early season visits to look for Adders that have emerged from their over-wintering sites (or hibernacula). These take place on lowland heathland around Poole Harbour, a superb place for reptiles which hosts all six native British species:

Lowland heathland at RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK - prime reptile habitat

One of the key aims of an Adder emergence survey is to find the locations of any over-wintering sites to ensure that they are not inadvertently damaged by heathland management operations. Unfortunately, despite two half-day searches - at Arne and Grange Heath respectively - no Adders were sighted. We know from previous records that they will be around, but it seems that conditions on the day(s) weren't right for them to show themselves. 

One compensation was my first Slow Worm sighting of the year (below). 

Slow Worm (female) - Grange Heath, Dorset, UK - 5 March 2026

Slow Worms are legless lizards that, at first sight, might be mistaken for a snake. Here's a link to my British lizard identification blog. The slightly darker striping on the sides of this Slow Worm suggests that she's a female.

A couple of magnificent beetles were also out and about at Arne. This marvellous three-'horned' Minotaur Beetle (below) is one of the dung beetle family (Geotrupidae). They dig burrows which they fill with rabbit (or other) droppings, making an ideal place to lay eggs. The 'horns', which are absent from females, must have an aggressive function, allowing males to defend resources such as dung piles or burrows (or even females) from their rivals. 

Minotaur Beetle (male) Typhaeus typhoeus - Arne, Dorset, UK - 26 February 2026

Also wandering along the heathland floor was this Bloody-nosed Beetle (below), another early emerging species. This is perhaps an atypical member of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae), as it is usually found bumbling slowly along the ground rather than sitting higher up in the foliage. Unlike most beetles it's flightless, its larvae feeding on bedstraws (Galium sp). The dramatic-sounding name comes from its habit of exuding an unpleasant reddish liquid from its mouth to discourage would-be predators. We didn't aggravate it though, and it went safely on its way.

Bloody-nosed Beetle Timarcha tenebricosa - Arne, Dorset, UK - 26 February 2026

So, despite the absence of Adders (for the time-being - more surveys are planned) there was much to see on the Dorset heathlands. There usually is: these places are full of welcome wildlife distractions. And on that theme, I'll leave you with another over-wintering heathland resident - this Peacock butterfly (below) that we found on a pile of logs at Grange Heath, its colours especially vivid in the afternoon sunshine.

Peacock Aglais io - Grange Heath, Dorset, UK - 5 March 2026

References

Beebee, T. & Griffith, R. (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles (New Naturalist Series) London: HarperCollins.

Inns, H. (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians Wildguides

Jones, R (2018) Beetles (New Naturalist Series) London: HarperCollins. 

Speybroeck, J. et al. (2016) Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Europe (British Wildlife Field Guides) London: Bloomsbury.

Text and images (c) Mike Hetherington

 

Iguanas and Basilisks - Costa Rica's Big Lizards

 

Green Iguana - Muelle, Costa Rica

As one of the world's most biodiverse countries, Costa Rica contains a huge variety of wildlife. Birds and mammals may be the biggest attractions, but you can easily get diverted by the supporting cast. And it was the reptiles, especially the large lizards, that caught my attention when I visited in November 2024.

Costa Rica contains around 250 species of reptile (compared to only six in my native Great Britain). While many of these are snakes, which tend to keep themselves to themselves, the ones that you are most likely to encounter are certainly the lizards. Unsurprisingly, it's the big lizards that are the most obvious.

And there are some real whoppers. This blog post looks at the two most conspicuous groups - the large iguanas and basilisks. 

Iguanas are the biggest of them all. Costa Rica hosts three species from the iguana family, of which two fall within the scope of this blog post. (The third, the Dwarf Spiny-tailed Iguana, is a secretive and endangered species only found in the extreme north of the country.)

Top of the tree, sometimes literally, is the Green Iguana (below - and at the start of this blog post). This is the archetypal iguana, indeed its scientific name is actually Iguana iguana. You cannot get more iguana-ish than that! They range across much of Central and South America and are native to some of the southern Caribbean islands, as well as having been introduced to Florida, where they're making a bit of a nuisance of themselves.

Some authorities have split the Central and South American Green Iguanas into two separate species, but I'm sticking here with the name used by international conservation body the IUCN.

Green Iguana - Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Green Iguanas are huge - adult males can exceed two metres in length. They can crop up across much of lowland Costa Rica, although are more likely to be encountered in protected areas.  If you're in northern Costa Rica then the place to head for is the town of Muelle on the road up to Los Chiles. And specifically to the café next to the Puente de las Iguanas - which is a good sign.    

Here, the Green Iguanas are an established tourist attraction: although wild, the café owners (and probably visitors) feed them (cabbage seemed a favourite), and we saw plenty hanging around. Green Iguanas are fairly strict vegetarians, although they do look capable of taking a chunk out of your thigh - if only they could be bothered to stop snoozing.

Other places to see Green Iguanas include the excellent rainforest reserve at Tirimbina (web link here). When we arrived there, one was perched high in a tree above the car park (below). They are excellent climbers.

Green Iguana in a tree - Tirimbina, Costa Rica

Green Iguana - Muelle, Costa Rica

The large size of Green Iguana is its best identification feature. Despite the name, Green Iguanas aren’t all green. Those at Muelle displayed a wide range of colours, as can be seen in the image above. Males turn orange in the mating season, which starts in December so this chap (who I photographed in November) may have been a bit quick off the mark. By the way, notice also the prominent circular scale sitting below the eye (the ‘sub-tympanic shield’), which is also a distinguishing feature of the Green Iguana. I can't find out whether it has a specific function, and would welcome comments from anyone with more information about this.

In Costa Rica, Green Iguanas can only be confused with the country's other large iguana - the Ctenosaur or Common Spiny-tailed Iguana Ctenosaurus similis (below). However, those are smaller (‘only’ up to about 1 metre long) and lack the sub-tympanic shield that characterises its larger relative.

Ctenosaur - near Chomes, Costa Rica

The Ctenosaur is the more common large lizard on the Pacific side of Costa Rica's central mountain chain, but its range doesn't extend over onto the eastern (Caribbean) slopes or lowlands. This one was sitting on a fencepost next to the road, eyeing us with a rather baleful expression. But it soon tired of our attention and decided to vanish rapidly into a hole in the top of the post with a surprisingly fluid motion. This was our only sighting of this spectacular reptile.

The second group of lizards that I'm looking at in this blog posts are the Basilisks, of which there are three Costa Rican species. These are a bit confusing, as all have a broadly similar body pattern. It doesn't help that there is no consistency in their naming; these are species where it pays to keep an eye on the formal scientific names. For example, all three species have been called the 'Jesus Christ Lizard' owing to their ability to run over the water on their hind legs. I witnessed a juvenile do this on a small stream on the Pacific coast, and can vouch for the fact that it's a startling and effective method of escaping from potential predators. It doesn't help to distinguish between the three species, though.

Brown Basilisk - Tirimbina Rainforest Reserve, Costa Rica 

We only encountered two of the three species on our trip in November 2024, the first of which was the Brown Basilisk Basiliscus vittatus (above) in Tirimbina rainforest reserve. It was our guide Pat O'Donnell (website link here) who first spotted the lizard, which was doing an excellent job of blending in with the leaf litter on the forest floor. But perhaps as a result of being noticed, it decided to climb up onto a low branch allowing me to get this lovely portrait. This species is less associated with streams and watercourses than the other two, and can be found at higher altitudes - although it's still able to do the running-over-water trick if it needs to. 

As in all three basilisks, Brown Basilisk has a prominent, pointed crest (or casque) on the head. But, unlike the other two species, adults have only a low crest on the back and a line of enlarged scales (looking like small spines), rather than a crest, along the top of the tail. Helpfully, it is only found on the eastern (Caribbean) side of Costa Rica's central mountain chain. Costa Rica is at the southern end of this species' distribution; heading north, its range extends into Mexico.

Both of my field guides (I've listed them at the end of this post) use the name 'Striped Basilisk' for this species (although Henderson also mentions Brown Basilisk). This is unhelpful, to put it mildly! As can be seen from my images, both this and the next species show prominent stripes. And, of course, both are mostly brown! In writing this blog, I have used the IUCN nomenclature for the sake of clarity.

So, let's look at basilisk number two:

Common Basilisk - near Golfito, Costa Rica

This is the Common Basilisk Basiliscus basiliscus. We found this one basking on a tree trunk above a stream in the Golfito Wildlife Refuge on the Pacific coast. In contrast to the previous species, the Common Basilisk is only found on the western side of Costa Rica's central mountains, although its range extends into the Central Valley where suitable habitat is available. In contrast to the previous species, Costa Rica lies at the northern end of its range, which extends south into Colombia and Venezuela. These two reptiles provide a nice illustration of one of the reasons why this small country is such a diverse wildlife destination; it sits at the cross-roads where Central American species meet those from tropical South America. 

Common Basilisks have a similar pointed crest or casque to Brown Basilisks. The key difference is that adults have conspicuous sail-like crests on both the back and the tail, as is shown in the one pictured below, which we also found in the Golfito area of Costa Rica's southern Pacific lowlands.

Common Basilisk - near Golfito, Costa Rica

One of my field guides (Twan Leenders) refers to this species as the Brown Basilisk, which as I've explained above can only add to the confusion between these two reptiles. If you stick to the accepted international terminology it's a lot clearer.

Unfortunately we didn't encounter Costa Rica's third basilisk species - the Green Basilisk Basiliscus plumifrons - so I can't provide a photograph. What I can do is refer you to websites that do, such as its page on the IUCN Red List site (link) and this rather excellent article on the Tetrapod Zoology blog (link) which contains a feast of basilisk-related information. 

Within Costa Rica, Green Basilisks are mainly found on the eastern (Caribbean) side of the mountains, although there is also a population on the Osa peninsula in the Pacific-side lowlands - which is the southern end of their global range. As this only extends as far north as Honduras, these basilisks have by far the most restricted range of our three species. The bright green colours is their main identification feature, along with bright yellow eyes and (in adult males) a generally more prominent crest (casque) on the head. But be warned: this species is also known as Emerald Basilisk and Double-crested Basilisk. Once again, I've used the IUCN nomenclature.

(For the sake of completeness, I should add that there is a fourth basilisk species that doesn't make it to Costa Rica. This is the Western Basilisk which is found in Colombia and Ecuador. They are green, have a rounded casque and serrated scale along the back. Sadly, I haven't encountered any on my travels.)

As an aside, it's worth noting that the basilisk has long been referred to in European literature as a mythical beast, going back at least as far as Roman times (for example the works of Pliny the Elder). It always seems to be some sort of reptile, but generally in snake rather than lizard form. Both its gaze and venom were meant to be lethal, its only weakness being (wait for it) the scent of a weasel. It popped up as a massive snake-like monster in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where our heroes had to resort to a non-weasel-related method of basilisk disposal. None of which explains why the name has been bestowed upon a genus of entirely non-venomous Neotropical reptiles.

I'll leave you with a close-up of a particularly prehistoric-looking Common Basilisk that we found in a small area of remnant rainforest near Alajuela in Costa Rica's Central Valley. 

References & Websites:

Halliday, T. and Adler, K. ed (2002) The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Oxford: OUP

Henderson, C.L. (2010) Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Leenders, T. (2023) Pocket Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. Hellbender-Zona Tropical: Cornell University Press.

Sasa, M., Arias, E. and Chaves, G., 2025. Annotated list of amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica: The role of the Museum of Zoology in cataloging the country’s herpetological diversity. Revista de Biología Tropical, 73(S2), pp.e64536-e64536. [Online]

IUCN Red List website - link

Pat O'Donnell's website - link

Tetrapod Zoology website - link

Text and images (c) Mike Hetherington

'Beardies' at Radipole Lake, Dorset

 

Bearded Tit - RSPB Radipole Lake, Dorset, UK - 6 January 2026

Surely one of the most charismatic of reedbed birds, as well as one of the most scarce, the Bearded Tit (or more strictly Bearded Reedling, see later) Panurus biarmicus is a highlight of any day's birdwatching. I'm lucky that my local reserve at Radipole Lake is one of the best places in Britain to see this species, and today's crisp, sunny (and cold) winter morning promised ideal viewing conditions. I headed off in a state of great anticipation.

Bearded Tit habitat - reedbeds at Radipole Lake.

Not that Bearded Tits are always easy to see. For me, that's part of the appeal. Reedbeds are notoriously good at hiding their inhabitants, which makes it all the sweeter when you finally get a glimpse of something. But if you are planning an encounter with Beardies then Radipole Lake, which lies in the middle of Weymouth on the Dorset coast (link to reserve information here), has several key advantages.

First, and most importantly, it hosts fairly stable numbers of the species. I say 'fairly', because Bearded Tits are prone to population fluctuations, especially following severe winter weather. This year some 13 breeding pairs were recorded across the two main Weymouth reserves - Radipole Lake and nearby Lodmoor - which is a reduction from the 22 pairs confirmed across the two sites in 2024. The highest that this number has reached is a count of 35 breeding pairs in 1989. Mind you, it must be difficult to get fully accurate counts of this elusive bird.

It's worth adding that there will often be more Beardies around Radipole and Lodmoor than the above figures might suggest. One breeding pair may have three or even four broods in a season, and each clutch can contain up to five or six eggs. Non-br,eeding birds will therefore add to the breeding population, leading to surprisingly large flocks especially later on in the year. My own record for Radipole was a flock of 16 some years ago. Although generally faithful to a single area, which will almost always be a large reedbed, Bearded Tits are known to to be efficient dispersers, and there have been many records of large flocks leaving their wetland homes ('irruptions') during autumn. This is more likely to take place if the seed crop of reeds, which is their main winter food source, has failed. 

Before researching this post I hadn't realised that (in modern times at least) Bearded Tits are a relatively recent arrival in Dorset. Across Britain as a whole, the species almost became extinct after the winter of 1947, with a few birds just hanging on in East Anglia. In Dorset, post-war breeding was first recorded in 1967 - at Radipole Lake, as it happens. It is a special place for these birds.

Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake - 6 January 2026

Radipole's other main advantage for Bearded Tit-watchers, and indeed seekers after other reedbed specialities such as Marsh Harrier and Cetti's Warbler, is its accessibility. The reserve is a short walk from Weymouth station and benefits from a truly massive car park (but avoid the place on a busy summer's day when holiday-makers are heading to the nearby beach). There are several paths through the reserve that allowing close views into the reeds, while shelters and platforms provide vantage points where you can scan for more distant flying birds. (Note: some of these facilities may be due for removal in the near future as a result of the RSPB's recent re-evaluation of reserve visitor facilities).

Given both the extent of the reedbeds within the Radipole Lake reserve and the mobility of Bearded Tits within that habitat, there are no guarantees about where (or indeed whether) any will turn up. In recent years, the Buddleia Loop has been a productive location, particularly near to the low stone bridge towards the north of the reserve. However, in the last couple of years the best place to start looking has been - conveniently enough - just over the bridge by the reserve's Discovery Centre and car park. 

Discovery Centre - RSPB Radipole Lake

And indeed today I was greeted by the encouraging sight of several birdwatchers on this very bridge pointing cameras into the reeds. A small number of Beardies were dangling off seed-heads, performing all sorts of acrobatics as the reed stems swayed gently from side to side: conditions that were not ideal for photography, needless to say. The birds that I photographed were all neat males, looking dapper with their drooping, pantomime villain-like moustaches (surely not "beards"?).  While the females share the same overall light brown colouration, their brown and white heads lack the grey and black combination that makes the males appear so striking. None turned up while I was looking.

Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake - 6 January 2026

I've referred to these birds as Bearded Tits for most of this post but, as mentioned at the start, the species is now called Bearded Reedling in most sources, including the HBW/Birdlife Checklist that I (usually) take as my starting point. This is fair enough as, first, the species is almost always found in and around reeds and, second, it is emphatically not a tit: this seems to have been an error started by taxonomist Carl Linnaeus as early as the 1750s. Its exact position on the tree of life has been a matter of subsequent debate, which now seems to have been resolved by creating a new family - the Panuridae - and making it the sole member. While this could be seen as a bit of a cop-out, it does reinforce the peculiarly distinct nature of this marvellous little bird. Which can only be a good thing.

Happily, at the time of writing the Bearded Tit is not listed as a bird of conservation concern in the UK (link to BTO Red List website here) and given its wide distribution, which extends eastwards across Europe and Asia to China, and a generally increasing population trend, it is classed as being of 'least concern' in worldwide conservation terms (link to IUCN Red List website here). Nevertheless, as its habitat preferences are so restricted, the species' future prospects will inevitably be tied to the future of wetland areas in general and reedbeds in particular.  And clearly there are many issues affecting such areas, most notably (at the moment in the UK) water quality. But that's for another blog post, maybe.

References

Birds in England (Andy Brown & Phil Grice) 2005 (T & AD Poyser)

Dorset Bird Report 2024 (Dorset Bird Club) - recommended!

  

How to See a Smooth Snake

 

Smooth Snake - RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK

Smooth Snakes are the rarest, the hardest to find and (for me) the coolest of Britain's reptiles. 

Three things make it difficult to find a Smooth Snake. First, they have a massively restricted range. Second, even when you are on their home turf, they aren't exactly showy, preferring to skulk low down under vegetation. Third - and this is the really tricky one - they (and their habitats) are strictly protected by law. Don't go looking for one by yourself without a licence!

I'll look at each in turn and then suggest how you might get that elusive encounter. But I'll start with a couple of disclaimers: I am a volunteer reptile surveyor for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and all of the Smooth Snake images in this post have been taken under relevant licences. 

Smooth Snake Identification

First things first: how would you recognise a Smooth Snake if you saw one?  

Smooth Snake - RSPB Arne (handled under licence)

Smooth Snakes are smaller than you might expect, being no longer than 50-55cm long. The background colour is often brown or grey (or a brownish grey!), with conspicuous spots along the back. These spots are usually brown, but can be darker in younger individuals, as in the image at the start of this blog post. But bear in mind that there are some dark (melanistic) individuals out there.

As with many snakes, the head is the best place to look for identification features. Smooth Snakes have a prominent heart-shaped mark (or 'crown') on the top of the head, which can range from black to brown as these photos show. The pattern is not uniform, allowing individuals to be identified from their particular pattern. They also have a dark horizontal stripe through the eye.  

Here's a close-up of the head of that Smooth Snake:

Smooth Snake head (detail)

Possible Confusion Species

If you are in the right part of the country - and I'll come to that shortly - then you could also encounter two other snakes, as well as one legless lizard. I'll take these in turn.

The easiest snake to rule out is the Grass Snake (below).

Grass Snake - RSPB Radipole

Grass Snakes are Britain's most distinctive snake. Generally much larger than Smooth Snakes, they can be 80cm to one metre long but sometimes more. The one in the photo above was relatively small. Grass Snakes are often found near, or sometimes in, ponds and other water bodies: frogs, toads and newts form a big part of their diet. But garden compost heaps are also popular places for them to hang out.

Apart from their respective sizes, there are three main differences between Grass Snakes and Smooth Snakes:

• Grass Snakes have a distinct collar with yellow or orange patches in front of a conspicuous black mark. This collar is absent in Smooth Snakes. Here's a close-up of that Grass Snake's head:

Grass Snake head (detail)

• The background colour of Grass Snakes is usually greenish-olive, compared to the usual grey-brown of Smooth Snakes. (But bear in mind that the colour of both species can vary.) 
• Although both Smooth and Grass Snakes are spotted, the markings on Grass Snakes tend to be a sharply distinct black colour and located along the flanks rather than the back. As already mentioned, the spots on Smooth Snakes are usually brown, although young Smooth Snakes can have darker and more obvious markings than adults. 

Rather more confusing is the Adder (below), Britain's only venomous snake:

Adder - Isle of Jura, Scotland

Adders are often in a similar size bracket to Smooth Snakes (40-55cm long), although female Adders can be bigger (up to 70cm). It should go without saying that Adders are dangerous (they do bite people and their venom is potentially fatal), so keep your distance and do not handle them! 

At first glance, Adders and Smooth Snakes share some characteristics: as well as being of a broadly similar size, both species have regular patterns on their backs and dark marks on the top of their heads. However, Smooth Snakes have spots on their back while Adders have a dark zig-zag pattern. But note that Adders are variable in colour, and some of the lighter examples can look similar to Smooth Snakes. Black Adders are more common than melanistic Smooth Snakes.

Also, the pattern on the top of an Adder's head is a dark V or X shape (see below) while, as already described, Smooth Snakes have a heart shaped mark. 

Adder head with V-shaped mark - West Bexington, Dorset

The good news is that there is a definitive way to distinguish Adders from either of the other two native British snakes: Adders have red eyes with a vertical pupil (see below). Smooth Snakes and Grass Snakes have eyes with round pupils. This is best viewed with close-focus binoculars or by taking photos with a decent camera lens. Keep well separated from the snake itself.

Adder head showing vertical pupil - West Bexington, Dorset

For the sake of completeness, don't forget Slow Worms. At first sight, these legless lizards can be mistaken for snakes, but a closer look will reveal a lizard-like head, a more 'chunky' profile than a snake and a characteristically smooth and shiny skin. In fact, they can look smoother than a Smooth Snake. If you get really close to a Slow Worm then you'll see that (like all lizards) they blink. Snakes don't.

Not a snake! Slow Worm in the garf- Dorset, UK

Slow Worms are common, and welcome, residents of less-tidy gardens (my garden included). But they are also found on lowland heaths that are occupied by Smooth Snakes. Indeed, Slow Worms form part of the diet of Smooth Snakes, although Sand Lizards and small mammals (especially young mice) are more commonly eaten. There's more about lizards in a previous blog post.

An excellent reptile identification guide is available as a free download from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

Smooth Snake habitat - lowland heath at RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK

Seeing Smooth Snakes

In Britain, Smooth Snakes are only found on the lowland heathlands of southern England, especially those in Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey. Reintroductions have taken place in other southern counties including in Devon on the Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve - more details here.

There is a UK distribution map for Smooth Snake in the National Biodiversity Network Atlas.

In my patch of Dorset, Smooth Snakes are present on various heathlands in Purbeck (the area south of Wareham) and the wider Poole Harbour basin. There are good numbers (35-40 individuals according the RSPB's news release that I've linked above) at RSPB Arne, where I am a volunteer, although they are rarely (if ever) seen by visitors; most casual snake sightings on the reserve tend to be of Adders. While Adders can sometimes be seen basking on open ground, Smooth Snakes are more more reluctant to emerge from the stands of deep heather where they spend most of their time. Even when warming up, they will often be wrapped around heather stems, providing very effective camouflage. If you have seen a Smooth Snake out in the open, and it does happen, then you have been extremely lucky.

Smooth Snake vanishing into the heather - RSPB Arne

As already mentioned, Smooth Snakes are strictly protected (here's the relevant legislation). Searching for one by yourself risks breaking the law, as well as disturbing a fantastic species that I'm sure we all want to protect. Fortunately, there are better ways of seeing Smooth Snakes in the wild.

Several of the organisations that own or manage heathland reserves arrange guided walks where a licensed surveyor will take groups out in search of reptiles. In the right locations these have a very good chance of seeing Smooth Snakes, as well as other heathland stars such as the spectacular Sand Lizard - although as with all wildlife encounters nothing is guaranteed. An added advantage is that you will learn a bit about the habits and ecology of the species concerned.

Some of the places and organisations that run reptile walks in Smooth Snake habitat are listed below, but bear in mind that at the time of writing this (November 2025) we are out of the reptile viewing season, so most events are unlikely to be scheduled before Spring 2026:

RSPB Arne - link here.

Dorset Wildlife Trust - link here

Dorset Heaths Partnership - link here

Surrey Wildlife Trust - link here

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (link here) run more in-depth training courses for reptile surveyors which are well worth considering if you live near areas of good reptile habitat and would like to spend more time surveying and helping to conserve these fascinating creatures. 

Further Reading

Beebee, T. and Griffiths, R. (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles. (Collins New Naturalist). Excellent detail about the ecology and life histories of Britain's snakes.

Inns, H. (2009). Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians. (Princeton Wildguides). Really useful, as it focuses upon the few British snake species, and well illustrated. Howard is the person holding a Smooth Snake in one of the photos in this blog.

Speybroeck, J. et al. (2016) Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Europe (British Wildlife Field Guides) London: Bloomsbury. This contains far more detail that you need for snake-spotting in Britain, but it's good to understand our species in their wider European context.