Friday, May 15th to Monday, May 18th.
In the night from Thursday to Friday the temperatures dropped down, a cool wind started and it began to rain.
On Friday morning the weather was not suitable for searching herps, so we decided to visit the town Siena.
In the afternoon we drove through the Colline Metallifere to Massa di Marittima.
On the way we stopped at a nice looking creek.
Although the sun came out every 15 minutes just for 5 minutes, we saw many Podarcis muralis nigriventris and a few Podarcis siculus campestris there.
But no snakes. Only sheddings of a subadult Hierophis and of four watersnakes, probably Natrix natrix.
Arriving at the CARAPAX Center, we found out, it is completely closed for public at the time!
Saturday and sunday, we spent around Castiglione again.
Unfortunately only one Hierophis viridiflavus seen, but many lizards and tortoises.
In the afternoon of sunday we went to the hill with the small lake again, already visited on the first day in the Castiglione area.
Again Podarcis muralis and Podarcis siculus, Lacerta bilineata juveniles and Testudo hermanni hermanni.
Short before sunset, a medium sized (about 1.3 metres) Elaphe quatuorlineata was out.
After catching, it regorged three nesting birds of unknown species (each about 10 cms long).
Monday morning we startet our ways back home - through the Colline Metallifere.
In an old quarry we found the sheddings of one Vipera aspis and one large Hierophis viridiflavus, some Podarcis muralis and Lacerta bilineata.
And one highlight of the whole trip: Chalcides chalcides.
Conclusio:
Although we found/saw just a few snakes and no specimen of Vipera aspis, it was a nice trip.
Its always pleasant to watch lizards and tortoises in the wild and have a look to all the flowers too.
Species seen:
*Salamandra salamandra giglioli
*Mesotriton alpestris apuanus
*Speleomantes italicus
*Rana (Pelophylax) sp.
*Bufo bufo spinosus
*Testudo h. hermanni
*Tarentola mauritanica
*Hemidactylus turcicus
*Podarcis muralis nigriventris
*Podarcis siculus campestris
*Lacerta bilineata
*Chalcides chalcides
Anguis fragilis
Hierophis viridiflavus
*Elaphe quatuorlineata
Total: 15 species; marked by an asterics: photo(s) of live specimen
Mario