A South Yorkshire Tick

No not the horrible things that cause Lyme Disease. Up until yesterday I hadn't seen a Slow Worm Anguis fragilis in South Yorkshire, my best spots are all in the Derbyshire part of the Peak District. However I was told that someone had seen one in a Churchyard not too far away. When I went to look it didn't look promising, well managed with grass mown inbetween the gravestones. However there were a lot of old gravestones with gaps under etc. So 2 weeks ago (with permission) I put down some felts on the edges of the churchward. On my way back from work I had a check (but not too hopefull of success) and sure enough I found a good sized male Slow Worm fantastic! Again taken with my old compact.

Male Slow Worm Anguis fragilis © C Corbidge

July Already

Well it's July, the weather is warming up and herping wise things tend to slow down. Animals warm up quickly, the vegetation gets quite dense and normally it's a time to ease off until late summer. However today I thought I would try and find a female Adder (Vipera berus) or 2 having only seen 1 in my local area this year (but 5 over the other side of the Pennines). I had an early start and went to an area where I've had the most success with adders in summer and soon found a female. She didn't move off when she saw me, so I took some in situ photos and left her in peace. There were a number of newly emerged Common Frogs (Rana temporaria) an important prey species for newborn adders. There also seemed to be a lot of small birds around today mainly warblers but quite a few Stonechats (Saxicola torquata). At my second best spot, no adders, but I caught a small Viviparous Lizard (Zootoca vivipara) which was probably a second year.

Above and Below Female Adder Vipera berus © Carl Corbidge

Froglet Rana temporaria © Carl Corbidge

Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara © Carl Corbidge

Male Stonechat Saxicola torquata © Carl Corbidge

I had a little bit of time left so a quick drive to a Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis) spot and I found a male and a gravid female, which was very dark indeed. A couple of tins that they use had been flipped and not put back in place, which was a little irritating.

Above Male Slow Worm and Below Female Slow Worm © Carl Corbidge

It's Nice When Your Effort Pays Off

A good way of surveying for reptiles is to put down refugia (tins, mats, felts etc) in areas you suspect may have populations. This works especially well for Slow Worms Anguis fragilis and Grass Snakes Natrix natrix. Last night straight after work, I went to put a few bits down in a graveyard where I suspect there may be slow worms. I then went to check some others I put down over the winter on an area of heath/grassland. Under the second last piece of roofing felt I turned there was a Grass Snake curled up, I photographed this, but when I put it back under the felt, a gravid female Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara had appeared under the same piece of felt. I put this back under a different piece of felt, as the Grass Snake was definately big enough to eat it! Coming straight from work I only took my compact camera, so pics aren't as sharp as usual.

Above and Below Gravid Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara © C Corbidge

Above and Below Grass Snake Natrix natrix © C Corbidge

A Big Fat Lizard (for a Zootoca)

Tonight after work I went to one of my favourite places in South Yorkshire, it is a lovely spot within the Peak National Park. It was here aged about 11 I caught my first Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara as they were called then (now named Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara). My best spot has changed over the years, there are more trees mainly birch and oak but a large area of conifers has recently been cleared (looks like a bombs hit it) allowing in more sunlight. Tonight I heard a few scurrying sounds which were probably lizards before spotting a large gravid female sat on top of a bracken covered wall. I think this was the largest individual (length wise) I have ever seen. She allowed a few shots before making a retreat, after looking for more lizards for 30 minutes (in which time the sun went in) I made my way back out came the sun and she was out again. As the name suggests, Viviparous lizards give birth to live young, when gravid they bask a lot  to speed up the gestation period, this gives the youngsters as much time as possible to feed up before they go into hibernation.

Above and Below Female Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara © Carl Corbidge

There are also a few family parties of Curlews Numenius arquata around which for me produce the mosy evocutive sound of the moorlands.

 Curlews Numenius arquata © Carl Corbidge

A New Site For Slow Worms

Whilst in Corfu I met Botanist David Shimwell, talking about all things plants and animals he promised to put me in touch with his brother Chris who lives in the Peak District. Chris is lucky to have Slow Worms Anguis fragilis in his garden. His garden is south facing and Chris being a fan of nature has left the bottom portion of his garden to grow wild benefiting a range of wildlife. We found a total of 3 slow worms in Chris's garden, 2 males and one which bolted down a hole, in his neighbours garden we found another 4, 2 adult females and 2 juveniles. There was also a juvenile Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris. I'm not 100% sure on the ID of this newt, initially I thought its dorsal pattern looked more like a Palmate Newt Lissotriton helviticus, however this species has a patchy distribution in the White Peak, prefering the more acidic waters of the Dark Peak. To confirm the species I looked at the underside, smooth newts should have spots on belly and chin, whereas the chin of palmates is pinkish and unspotted, this one just to be awkward didn't have spots on belly or chin. Moving on up the road we got to an area where a few sheets of tin have blown off an old farm building, here we found another 7 slow worms including a large female which looked gravid,  there were also 2 Common Toads Bufo bufo. Thanks to Chris and his wife for a very productive morning.

Above and Below Juvenile Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris © C Corbidge

Above and Below Adult Female © C Corbidge

Above and below Different Copper Coloured Female © C Corbidge

Below Pale Juvenile © C Corbidge

Above and Below 2 different Males © C Corbidge

Habitat © C Corbidge

No Lizards but a few Tigers

I had a quick look today at one of my favorite sites for Viviparous Lizards Zootoca vivipara, this also happens to be a good site for Adders Vipera berus. However I knew my chances of seeing the latter was pretty much zero, as in June and July they vanish having fed well in the spring and the ambient temperature being high enough to avoid the need to bask. On the other hand the lizards are visable year round especially gravid females, but today nothing, it was a little windy and sometimes after a few nice days nice weather they lie low, and I guess that is what they were doing today. There were a few birds in evidence on the moor, Whinchat, Stonechat and on the sandy path there were a few Green Tiger Beetles Cicindelan campestris. These carnivorous beetles have excellent vision and are the UK fastest running beetles covering 60cm in a second in pursuit of prey. They're also a bit of a pain to photograph running away or more often flying a few yards down the path, anyway after a liitle effort I got a few decent photos.

Green Tiger Beetle © Carl Corbidge

Back To Snake Island, Corfu May 2011

On the 6th of May I headed off for 10 days intensive herping on the Island of Corfu along with Matt Wilson and Andy Gray. I had previously been there in October 2009 on a non herping trip (still managed 14 species) so I was keen to go back in the spring. Not surprisingly we did a little better this time around and managed to chalk up 30 species, 11 snakes, 9 lizards, 3 chelonians and 7 amphibians. We only missed 3 native species, Worm snake, Aesculapian snake and Macedonian Newt.
Matt had been invited to help do some guiding with the Durrell school organised by Dave and Alex Ashcroft. The aim of the course is to take the guests on walks in the areas of Corfu which were visited by Gerald Durrell during his childhood on Corfu. Myself and Matt were allowed to stay at the school during our stay so a big thankyou to Dave and Alex for this. Andy didn't want such a full on herping trip so stayed in Barbati, allowing him to do his own thing on some days. Our aim was to see as much as possible in the week before Matt started the guiding so the pace was hectic.
I won't be naming any specific sites, collecting of certain species still occurs on Corfu and I don't want to give any clues to these idiots.

Day 1 Saturday 7th May Sunny 25C
We arrived late got ripped off for 25 euros for late hire car pick up and another 80 euros for a tank of fuel. We were up early the next morning, walking through Corfu Town the sky was full of Alpine Swifts Apus melba and Common Swifts Apus apus. We headed to an area in the south, first species up was predictably Dalmation Algyroides Algyroides nigropunctatus the most numerous lizard on the island. We quickly added Balkan Green Lizard Lacerta trilineata, Marsh/Epirus Frog Pelophylax spp, Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni and a juvenile Greek Slow Worm Anguis graeca which has now been given full species status. Next came one of the rarest/hardest to see snakes on the island a beautiful 50cm Sand Boa Eryx jaculus, initially Matt and myself thought "it's dead" because it was out on the sand in broad daylight, however it was very much alive and constituted our biggest stroke of luck of the trip. Further into the dunes we had 2 more tortoise, an Eastern Montpellier Snake Malpolon insignitis escaped and we caught 2 large Glass Lizards Pseudopus apodus. Moving on to a ruin another 4 Glass Lizards, 1 dor and one live Montpellier snake plus the Algyroides.

Alpine Swifts Apus melba © C Corbidge

Male Dalmation Algyroides Algyroides nigropunctatus © C Corbidge

Juvenile Greek Slow Worm Anguis graeca © C Corbidge

Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni © C Corbidge

A battle scarred Glass Lizard Pseudopus apodus © C Corbidge

The second prettier one © C Corbidge

Male Balkan Green Lizard Lacerta trilineata © C Corbidge

Above 5 photos Sand Boa Eryx jaculus © C Corbidge

Sand Boa Video

Matt and the Boa © C Corbidge

Habitat © C Corbidge

After an excellant morning we picked Andy up and had a look around some sites in the north. At the first stop we had 2 Dahl's Whip Snakes Platiceps najadum, (1 caught), a juvenile Montpellier snake (escaped) and a few Balkan Green Lizards.

Above Dahl's Whip Snake Platyceps najadum © C Corbidge

Female Balkan Green Lizard Lacerta trilineata © C Corbidge

Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator © C Corbidge

Moving on up to another site further up the mountain we had a second stroke of luck, Andy flipped a stone on the top of a wall and discovered a Cat Snake Telescopus fallax, of which there are only a handful of records for Corfu. Matt narrowly missed catching a large Montpellier Snake and we rescued a Grass Snake Natrix natrix persa from a well. We found another 3 slow worms also, these look identical to those in the UK, the only difference I noted was they tended to have pale spots around the face.

Cat Snake photography © C Corbidge

Above Cat Snake Telescopus fallax © C Corbidge

Above 2 different Greek Slow Worms © C Corbidge

Anybody down there? © C Corbidge

Yes me I'm stuck! © C Corbidge

Grass Snake Natrix natrix persa © C Corbidge

Day 2 Sunny 25C

In the morning we had 3 Hermann's Tortoise including a fairly small one, Snake Eyed Skink Ablepharus kitabelli, Balkan Green Lizard and Glass Lizard. We then picked Andy up, and went up in the mountains again, there was a recently dor large male Montpellier Snake. We then had a juvenile Montpellier Snake and a juvenile Four Lined Snake Elaphe quatuorlineata, 2 more Greek Slow Worms and a single Turkish Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus.

Juvenile Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni © C Corbidge

Turkish Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus © C Corbidge

Juvenile Montpellier Snake Malpolon insignitus © C Corbidge

Above and below juvenile Four Lined Snake Elaphe quatuorlineata © C Corbidge

In the evening we had a night drive, we heard Common Tree Frog Hyla arborea, but couldn't see them and lots of water frogs.

Day 3 Cloudy and Rain at times.

This was perhaps our least successful day, we added Common Toad Bufo bufo spinosus, a brief view of the second smaller green lizard of the island, Eastern Green Lizard Lacerta viridis, Snake Eyed Skink, 10 Turkish Geckos 10 Smooth Newts, Lissotriton vulgaris and 3 slow worms and the usual Algyroides.

Large female Common Toad Bufo bufo spinosus © C Corbidge

Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris female above male below © C Corbidge

Male Dalmation Algyroides Algyroides nigropunctatus © C Corbidge

Day 4 Sunny/Cloud.
We had a little trouble finding a lagoon which when we finally did was a little disapointing. We had 3 Tortoise, a Dahl's Whip Snake, 3 Glass Lizards, 1 Montpellier, 2 juvenile Agile Frogs Rana dalmatina.

Above and below Agile Frog Rana dalmatina © C Corbidge

Moving on to a riparian habitat, we had European Terrapin Emys orbicularis, Balkan Terrapin Mauremys rivulata, 3 Grass Snakes and lots of water frog spp. Then over a 30 minute period we started with a Melanistic Dice Snake Natrix tessalata followed by 3 more normal coloured snakes all in the same small spot. Further through the valley Matt had his most frustrating moment of the trip as he managed to get his finger tips to a Caspian Whip Snake Dolichophis caspius but it slipped away into a wall, this was the snake which was top of his wish list. 2 Balkan Wall Lizards Podarcis taurica on the road edge added another species.

European Terrapin Emys orbicularis © C Corbidge

Balkan Terrapin Mauremys rivulata © C Corbidge

Marsh/Epirus Frog Pelophylax spp © C Corbidge

Above and below Melanistic Dice Snake Natrix tessalata © C Corbidge

Above and below 2 different Dice Snakes Natrix tessalata © C Corbidge

Habitat © C Corbidge

Above and below Balkan Wall Lizard Podarcis taurica © C Corbidge

Day 5 Cloudy AM Sunny PM
Today we were joined by Bella who had visted Corfu wanting to see some of the places and wildlife written about in the books of Gerald Durrell. We headed to a spot previously visited on Monday when the weather wasn't so good. We kicked off with a Slow Worm, 5 Balkan Green Lizards, Glass Lizard, Common Toad and Algyroides. Just has we had called it a day at that site, I spotted a large snake which turned out to be an adult Four Lined Snake which was approximately 2 metres the biggest snake i've caught to date.

Above and below Balkan Green Lizard Lacerta trilineata © C Corbidge

Adult Four Lined Snake Elaphe quatuorlineata © C Corbidge

Bella and Me with the big Four Line © C Corbidge

Moving on after lunch we visited a couple areas of ruins. We missed yet another Montpellier Snake, Matt caught a small Balkan Whip Snake Hierophis gemonensis and Andy caught a smallish female Nose Horned Viper Vipera ammodytes.

Above and Below Balkan Whip Snake Hierophis gemonesis © C Corbidge

Above and Below Female Nose Horned Viper Vipera ammodytes © C Corbidge

Viper Video

There was a little bit of rain in the evening so myself and Matt did a night drive looking for amphibians. We had 20 Common Toad, 1 Common Tree Frog, 20 Agile Frog, 10 Smooth Newt, lots of Water Frog spp, 2 Scops Owls Otus scops apparently picking off amphibians on the road and most surprisingly 2 Grass Snakes.

Adult Agile Frog Rana dalmatina © C Corbidge

 Day 6 Sunny 26C

We started the day with a 150cm Four Lined Snake, a Balkan Whip Snake escaped my grasp. Our intention for the afternoon was to explore the offshore Island of Vidos, but unfortunately the boat was not running. Instead we had a look around the southern end of Corfu town, we ticked off the Starred Agamas Laudakia stellio. At a drying up pool numerous newly metamorphised Green Toads Bufo viridis were making their way out of the sun. With a little rain in the evening we went to the site with the Green Toads hoping the rain would bring out an adult, luckily we found one male calling and heard another.

 Adult Four Lined Snake Elaphe quatuorlineata © C Corbidge

Starred Agama Laudakia stellio Adult above Juv Below © C Corbidge

Juvenile Green Toad Bufo viridis © C Corbidge

Adult Male Green Toad Bufo viridis © C Corbidge

Day 7 Sunny 28C

Today we headed up high to some old ruins, on the road up we had an adult Balkan Whip Snake, we failed to catch another large Montpellier Snake with another dor, Glass lizard, Balkan Green lizard and Algyroides made up the days tally.

Adult Balkan Whip Snake Hierophis gemonesis © C Corbidge

Day 8 Sunny 28C

We decided to try again for Eastern Green Lizard as we hadn't managed to photograph one yet (and i didn't see the one Matt had seen). This time our luck was in and a male showed well, this lizard only seems to be present in one small area in the north perhaps outcompeted by the larger Balkan Green elsewhere. We had another juvenile Four Lined Snake, failed to catch 2 Balkan Whip Snakes, an old Hermann's Tortoise, 2 Glass Lizards.

Above 3 photos Eastern Green Lizard Lacerta Viridis © C Corbidge

Juvenile Four Lined Snake Elaphe quatuorlineata © C Corbidge

Above Red Rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica © C Corbidge

Day 9 Sunny 28C
Unfortunately the first snake of the day was a small female viper that looked like some moron had deliberately killed it with injuries to its head and tail. Next up was the snake top of my wish list a lovely Leopard Snake Zamenis situla which was the last new species of the trip and what a way to finish. On another road a recent vehicle casualty a lovely marked male viper. We rescued a tortoise off the road as it was stuck at the base of a wall. Another possible Balkan Whip Snake and the ubiquitus Balkan Green Lizards.

Above 3 photos Leopard Snake Zamenis situla © C Corbidge

Habitat © C Corbidge

Dave gloved up and ready for a big snake © C Corbidge

Male Viper dor © C Corbidge

Swallowtail © C Corbidge

Last Day Rain/Cloud

The weather took a turn for the worse again so only a single Glass Lizard, Balkan Greens a Turkish Gecko, I managed to sneak a photo of a Black Eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica.

All in all I couldn't have asked for a better week of herping, Corfu is a great Island and a place I will be returning to in the near future.

Final Totals

Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris 20+

Epirus Frog Pelophylax epeirotica numerous

Marsh Frog Pelophylax ridibunda numerous

Agile Frog Rana dalmatina 20+

Common Tree Frog Hyla arborea Heard 1 dor

Common Toad Bufo bufo 20+

Green Toad Bufo viridis 2 adults 100+ juv

Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni 11

European Terrapin Emys orbicularis 10+

Balkan Terrapin Mauremys rivulata 1

Starred Agama Laudakia stellio 10+

Turkish Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus 10+

Balkan Green Lizard Lacerta trilineata numerous

Eastern Green Lizard Lacerta viridis 2

Dalmation Algyroides Algyroides nigropunctatus numerous

Balkan Wall Lizard Podarcis taurica 2

Snake Eyed Skink Ablepharus kitabelli 3

Greek Slow Worm Anguis graeca 10

Glass Lizard Pseudopus apodus 10+

Eastern Montpellier Snake Malpolon insignitus 10+

Balkan Whip Snake Hierophis gemonensis 7

Dahl's Whip Snake Platyceps najadum 3

Caspian Whip Snake Dolichophis caspius 1

Dice Snake Natrix tessalata 4

Grass Snake Natrix natrix persa 7

Leopard Snake Zamenis situla 1

Cat Snake Telescopus fallax 1

Four Lined Snake Elaphe quatuorlineata 4

Sand Boa Eryx jaculus 1

Nose Horned Viper Vipera ammodytes 1