Herpetofauna ~ Common Lizard at Wicken Fen

We were walking along the boardwalk at Wicken Fen a few days ago ... when a tiny face popped up between the slats ...

... and looked in our direction. It was a Common Lizard, and perhaps the smallest I have ever seen.

Some minutes later a second lizard (the one in the photos immediately above and below this piece of text) raised its head above 'the parapet', and seemed less concerned about our presence than the first one.

We have had quite a good summer for reptile sightings ... four Common Lizards, one Adder ... and (for David) a Grass Snake. Sadly I have not seen any amphibians to date this year.

The Smock Windpump at Wicken Fen

Herpetofauna: Adder at Minsmere

I had been wondering how long it would be before I encountered one of the Adders that frequent RSPB Minsmere, and thanks to the warm sunny conditions last weekend, I was able to take these photographs. My instinctive reaction was to jump, and then to warn David to keep a sensible distance away. At that point we watched the snake together. I got out my camera and took these shots, using my zoom lens, before the reptile slithered off into the shade of the undergrowth. 

Adders are a protected species under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. They are protected from being taken from the wild, from being killed and from being sold. These snakes do not bite unless startled or provoked. About 100 people receive an adder bite in the UK each year. Immediate medical attention must be sought in the case of such an eventuality.  

I have recorded the sighting here on the 'Add an Adder' section of The Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust, for the purposes of monitoring and conservation. 

Forked tongue (and red iris)

A veritable snake in the grass . . .

Nature Reserve Notes: Looking for Reptiles at RSPB Minsmere

We had been told that there were Adders about at RSPB Minsmere, so we were keeping an eye out for reptiles over the last Bank Holiday weekend. David was particularly sharp-eyed, and spotted a scaled creature camouflaged by the dry leaves. The photo above has been cropped considerably to make the reptile more visible!

It tuned out to be ...

... a magnificent Common Lizard. Definitely another exciting seasonal first (26 May 2013) ... though we never got to see an Adder!

Butterflies and Moths (11): Near Snape

The butterfly above is, I believe, a Small Copper. The bright sunlight has affected the level of iridescence and made the outer wing look rather purple! These Ragwort flowers near the River Alde in Suffolk were a magnet for lepidotera ...

This tiger-like caterpillar will develop into a Cinnabar Moth. Cinnabars have a lengthway stripe while Burnets have spots.

You might also like ... this lizard that we saw in the same area.

P.S. There were some Large White butterflies in my garden today, but they were too fluttery to photograph! I would encourage those of us in Britain to follow Sir David Attenborough's advice and take part in the Big Butterfly Survey. If you click the link (or this one here), you will also be able to read about the part M&S are playing in encouraging their farmers and customers to look out for butterflies.

Herpetofauna (4): Common Lizard near Snape

Common Lizard

We were a few metres from the car at Iken Cliffs, on a walk back from Snape Maltings, when something caught my eye on an old tree stump. It was a female Common Lizard. She wasn't exactly basking in the sun, but I suspect she had been lured out by the warm temperatures. She was fairly well camouflaged, in her shadowy spot. These lizards are also known as Viviparous Lizards: they bear live young in cold areas and lay eggs in locations where the climate is warm. They tend to choose habitats with a mixture of sunlight and shadow, with open space to bask and cover for protection.

 I love the way in which the scales of her skin blend with the markings of the bark.

I wished I had had a bit longer to observe her, but there were other people coming up behind us on the narrow path, so we had to make way for them. This was my first lizard of 2012 ... and a fine specimen!

The iconic reedbed landscape between Iken Cliffs and Snape Maltings, Suffolk, England

Herpetofauna (3): Frogs in the Peloponnese

A number of frogs like this one were enjoying the lily pads ...

They were actually pretty camouflaged in the dappled sunlight and shade, and we only realised they were there when presumably they heard us walking by and leaped off their 'sunbeds' into the water.

Guess who ruled the roost in this pond!

I am wondering if they were examples of the Epirus Water Frog (Pelophylax epeiroticus) - or at least the frog in the top photo. We were staying near Pylos, in the region of the beautiful lagoon at Yialova.

Land of the Lotus Eaters?

•  Do look at this site for some amazing wildlife in the region. You might also enjoy these images.

Herpetofauna (2): Frogs and Lizards

Thanks to David at Wildlife Wales, we decided to re-visit Carmarthenshire's Llyn Llech Owain Country Park at Gorslas near Cross Hands. We had been there once before, but it was a long time ago.

We particularly hoped to see Goldcrests, and we wonder if we were successful since the birds we saw had the yellow-gold wing band that you can see on the juvenile here on the RSPB site (you may need to click through to 'illustration 2').

We saw a number of Goldfinches (see below) in the fir and larch plantations and on the scrubby heathland. My thanks to David at Wildlife Wales for his help here.



We sat and watched Dragonflies and Damselflies from the hides. The spots of pink iridescence beneath the dragonfly below were extraordinary. I think the species is probably the Black Darter, Sympetrum danae. I believe this one is a male, and would be grateful to know more.


There were a number of butterflies, too, including the Small Copper on the heather in the photographs below.



There was some very arresting fungus... On first inspection when I got home and uploaded the photographs, it looked like a Yellow Coral fungus of some sort. I have yet to verify whether these grow in my neck of the woods! You can see an example of Meadow Coral here.




We were particularly delighted with and surprised by our Herpetofauna sightings - two lizards and two small frogs. I mistook the first frog for a large fly. I saw something like a Horsefly skittering about on the path in front of us, and then realized that it was actually hopping! I think it was a small Common Frog. It was not warty enough for a toad!

It was not long before we noticed a second, though I seem to recall that the photo below is a second view of the first.


We were on the home stretch when we noticed a small dark Lizard on the edge of the path.

I think it was a juvenile male.

We paused to let a family pass by, and soon caught sight of this last creature. He was considerably larger and lighter in colour than the first lizard, though I suspect they were both Common Lizards.

Common or Viviparous Lizard
Zootoca [formerly Lacerta] vivipara

This photo above reminds me of a Pangolin!

Lizards in previous posts

• In Cardiganshire
• In Scotland: the one that wasn't (it turned out to be a young newt!)

Yellow Fungus in a previous post

• In Pembrokeshire
  

External Resources

• British Dragonfly Society
• Herpetofauna Identification
• Kanak's Garden Lizards - in India!
  

Herpetofauna (1): Common Frog

We spotted this little chap (1-2 long cm) hopping through the undergrowth
at WWT Llanelli ten days ago.

I think he is a young but fully developed Common Frog,
with his pointed snout
and barred hind legs.

I wondered at what point a froglet becomes a frog.
My understanding is that the amphibian can be called a frog
once the tail has been reabsorbed,
i.e. once apoptosis has taken place.

A blown-up image,
to help with identification!

• BBC Frogs and Toads