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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

UK herps 2014 (1 Viewer)

Clare and I had two + Greenies (an adult male and an immature: plus a probable small juvenile) and about a dozen Wall Lizards at the zigzag this morning. The Green Lizards were at the bottom. Pix later or tomorrow. We got there at about 0830 and the lizards were only just beginning to bask.

We then nipped over to Portland and had distant views of the Eastern Subalpine Warbler that had reappeared in the top fields.

Final stop of the day was Hartland Moor where we had brief views of Emperor Moth, Hairy Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Green Hairstreak and were lucky enough to find a couple of snakes basking in the open, though those were fired up and didn't hang about either.

Super weather all day made the entire experience very enjoyable.

John
 
Pix:

Green Lizard X 3 (2 with Wall Lizard)

John
 

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Went back to the Waterworks Nature Reserve today and managed to get a photo of one of the frogs, this time. Cheers again for information.
 

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Did plenty of gardening at the weekend and found these chaps

Mark
 

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Boscombe lizards

All

Thanks to the precise information given from John and others, we visited the Portman Ravine on Wednesday. Having dipped the greens last year, I was keen to find them this time. So we followed the tips and hopped up the wall behind the huts to view the base of the cliffs. Sure enough one young green and two wall lizards basking on little bits of roofing felt and a dark board - success!

Some council workmen were fixing the huts and told us in no uncertain terms to bu**er off - thankfully after we had seen the beasts, so we reluctantly did. Some irony as the lizards were seen on debris from said huts anyway.

But these animals would not have been viewable from the zigzag or sea front, so be warned, they remain a challenge.

Cheers, Paul
 
First Grass Snake of the year for me at Bury Lake, Rickmansworth. Disappeared into the undergrowth before I could get a picture :-(
 
Clobbered Sand Lizard at Hankley this afternoon when the sun came out immediately after a heavy shower. Just like to point out that the most herps I've ever seen in Africa was after a belt of thunderstorms at lunchtime. Still, totally dry days are not necessarily best.

John
 
Looking for Aesculapian snake tomorrow morning

weather looks spot on at present, so i'll give Camden a whirl before work tomorrow. will report back.
 
Would the timing of your visit not be too early in the day. I thought the temp needed to be at or above 19℃ for them to be out basking. I may be wrong!
 
Entirely probable. However, It was a similar time of day when i saw them previously i think. I dont know what todays air temp was, but it was predicted to be 13 by 7am, and it was pretty warm by 730 - so i suspect may have been warm enough for one to bask
 
Entirely probable. However, It was a similar time of day when i saw them previously i think. I dont know what todays air temp was, but it was predicted to be 13 by 7am, and it was pretty warm by 730 - so i suspect may have been warm enough for one to bask

Leave it another week then :t:

Thanks for looking as they say on flickr!

John
 
I am hoping for a trip out on Sunday, combining herps and butterflies with a trip south from Berkshire.

Is Portman ravine in Bournemouth the best place to look for Green and Wall Lizards and can anyone recommend a site for Smooth Snake please?

Thank you,

Robin
 
Portman Ravine is great for Wall Lizards; I was there from about 7.30 am last weekend and saw plenty basking on the walls.

I found the Green Lizards a bit more tricky - I ended up looking on the cliffs themselves just to the west of the zig-zag, behind the beach huts. I did get asked to stop climbing on the cliff, but not before I'd managed to spy one!

Good luck.
 
Portman Ravine is great for Wall Lizards; I was there from about 7.30 am last weekend and saw plenty basking on the walls.

I found the Green Lizards a bit more tricky - I ended up looking on the cliffs themselves just to the west of the zig-zag, behind the beach huts. I did get asked to stop climbing on the cliff, but not before I'd managed to spy one!

Good luck.

Thanks, we found the Wall Lizards in the walls behind the beach huts but had no luck with Green Lizard, in a couple of hours from 9:30. There were some Common Lizards too (including one basking on a crisp packet).

One for next time...
 
If anybody wants some easy but very small Natterjacks, there are teeny tiny ones at the Hengistbury Natterjack pools evenings at the moment. Clare and I had 20 or more yesterday from 2000 hrs onwards, mostly about 1cm long but one was almost 2cm!!

Wear insect repellent, he said feelingly!

John
 
Wall lizards in December

3 wall lizards were out yesterday at 10am while there was frost on the ground. Air temp 2C. Portman ravine.
 

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