Photographing Snakes In Trees

An African Green Snake (locally called grass snake) hides in an Acacia tree top

The diversity of habitats in the wilderness, vary between the individual trees that dot the landscapes. Each and every bush, shrub or treetop is similar to a unique planet that sustains a multitude of permanent and migrating inhabitants. Among the many types of nesting birds, insects and mammals, the tree canopy is also home to a variety of snakes.

The secret to photographing snakes in their natural habitat however, is to first and foremost find out which tree they are currently on! With superb camouflage, flat bodies and immovable statue like posses, finding one can be quite a challenging task for the human eye. The trick however is to let the highly trained eyes of the resident wildlife do the finding for you. Listen for alarm calls and watch for any erratic behavior caused by birds and primates coming out from a particular tree. Chances are, all that commotion is because a snake has been sighted. Regardless of the serpent species, always remember too keep a safe distance.

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