Copperhead braves winter chill, increased number of baby snakes possible says Orange snake catcher Jake Hansen

Orange Snake Service's Jake Hansen was called out to remove a highland copperhead from a school last week, about a month before the usual snake sightings begin to be reported in the region.

Mr Hansen has had a catch-and-release licence for eight years and said highland copperheads can tolerate the cold better than most other snake species in the region.

"They are always the first species of snake that I catch each year and the last at the end of each season because they are more cold tolerant than eastern browns," Mr Hansen said

However, he said the snakes don't usually show up this early and the one he caught at the undisclosed school was surprisingly active given the temperature.

"It was 11 degrees so it's right on the lower limits for temperature to allow a snake to be active," Mr Hansen said.

A few other snake sightings have also been reported in the region recently with one seen basking in the sun on a road just outside of town on Saturday.

Mr Hansen said they aren't generally active at this time of year though.

"They are not moving around, they might pop their head out for a bit of sun if it's a sunny day," he said.

"A sunny day now is right on the limits of what is warm enough for a snake, it's mainly going to be copper heads ... they don't require high temperatures to be active."

However, he said they are not doing a whole lot right now and they will be much more active in spring when the males go out seeking a mate and given the plentiful food that's about, "there might be more baby snakes".

"It is possible you will see more babies," he said.

He said snakes don't necessarily breed every year but they are more likely to produce babies if they are healthy.

Eastern brown snakes usually start hatching in February while Highland Copperheads, tiger snakes and red bellied black snakes give birth to live young in late February or early March

Following the mouse plague, he said eastern brown snakes he saw were thicker and healthier and although highlands copperheads don't eat mice but prey upon frogs, lizards and other snakes, they also had plenty of food around .

Snake removal calls usually start at the end of September.

"I might get one a week" Mr Hansen said.

However, he received fewer calls in the last two years.

Mr Hansen said the neither snakes or people go out as much in the rain, and the wet weather has also been good for the animals, amphibians and reptiles the snakes eat.

"They don't need to come into people's back yards for food," he said.

He said the rain also led to thicker vegetation so any snakes that are around are more difficult to see.

"I would also like to think that since I've been doing this I've made a concerted effort to educate people on what to do when they see a snake," Mr Hansen said.

"They might not be compelled to call me every time they see a snake.

"Try not to think of it as anything unnatural because snakes are just a part of the landscape, most of them you don't even see."

Mr Hansen said copperheads are the most common snakes he's called to remove in the Orange township and they can be found in suburban areas, in people's back yards and wetlands.

He said eastern brown snakes are found more often out of town, although he does get some in town.

"These two species they make about 90 per cent of call outs that I get," Mr Hansen said.

However, he said there are some red bellied black snakes about in some areas and occasionally he is called to Bathurst where they have tiger snakes instead of highland copperheads.