Last Thursday, I spotted something that looked like a tiny periscope in the Dart.

As it was heading steadily and quite quickly towards the railway bridge – against the current – it was obviously not an oddly shaped stick and I eventually realised it was a grass snake.

A couple of times it glided effortlessly up onto the bank then slid back into the water before continuing upstream.

It was a beautiful and elegant swimmer and I suspect it was patrolling the bank looking for dinner.

Would it have been after eggs or young from riverbank nests? Who can tell me?

Sue Carole

Station Road, Totnes