When snake catcher Kane Durrant was called out to Sydney’s south west by a homeowner whose toddler son had found a baby venomous snake, he expected to find perhaps one snake nest.
But he and wife Rachael were staggered by what they found when they lifted a slab in the yard at Bringelly.
Near the clothes line in the back garden discovered around eight old eastern brown snake nests, containing a total of 110 hatched eggs.
Some of the baby residents were still there, and a red bellied black snake was also lurking.
“Snakes just started shooting out from under the slab,” he said.
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Durrant said the creatures have clearly decided the spot is perfect to nest, and have just kept returning.
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“Some of the eggs might have been several years old, it looks like several females have been returning to that spot every year,” he said.
“They’ve all come to that conclusion that’s the best spot to lay their egg- it’s safe and there’s plenty of food around.”
Durrant, who runs company Wild Conservation said snakes lay an average of 15-16 eggs per clutch.
The Durrants relocated the three snakes they found and are set to return to help the homeowner lift the other old slabs to see what’s beneath them.
They then plan to lay a less snake-friendly gravel so the snakes don’t return to nest.
“It’s a little sad that they’re losing their long term nest site, but we can’t have them so close to a family,” Durrant, said.
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