Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Black Mamba

CRISPIN Hemson shares some more treasures that can be found in Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. This week his focus is on the Black Mamba.

I was introducing a group of nature-lovers to Pigeon Valley when a friend in the group said to me, “Crispin, is it true that you saw a Green Mamba in the reserve?” I replied, firmly, “No. That is fake news, a scurrilous rumour spread to make people scared of coming to Pigeon Valley. What I saw was definitely a Black Mamba.” I was referring to the one I first saw in August 2017, when there was a sudden movement in the grass near the track and I watched a huge snake fleeing into the bush.

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After that, on a hot day I heard birds calling the alarm and saw a Black Mamba coiled on top of a bush. The snake and I watched each other calmly. Then, this week I was talking to a friend when he caught sight of a Mamba. It watched us carefully for a long time, then very slowly moved into the thicket. Later, although I could not see it, I knew exactly where it was, as there was a chorus of bird alarm calls around it.

People are no doubt scared of coming to the reserve if they know it is there, but in reality I know of no-one bitten by a snake at Pigeon Valley; bees and humans are more likely to be the problem! The Mamba will move away quickly unless it feels trapped, when of course it could be very dangerous. So just keep to a respectful distance!

 See video footage of a Black Mamba in Pigeon Valley:

What is surprising is that I know of no sighting of Black Mambas in the area until 2017. It seems that this is a recent development. Ideally, their diet would focus on dassies, none of which are now in the area, though in the 1990s I would occasionally encounter one that had been released into the reserve.

Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerting management to any problems.

The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.

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