Tuscany 2009 - part 4 (last)

Tuscany 2009 - part 4 (last)

Postby Mario Schweiger » Thu May 21, 2009 10:12 am

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.

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Siena - Palazzo Pubblico


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Siena - cathedral


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Siena - cathedral


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Siena - cathedral


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Siena - a nice idea. Brass snails on a house door


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Siena - a nice idea. Brass snails on a house door


In the afternoon we drove through the Colline Metallifere to Massa di Marittima.
On the way we stopped at a nice looking creek.

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Creek in the Colline Metallifere


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.

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Montemassi


Arriving at the CARAPAX Center, we found out, it is completely closed for public at the time!

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Massa Marittima - cornpoppies in an olive garden


Saturday and sunday, we spent around Castiglione again.
Unfortunately only one Hierophis viridiflavus seen, but many lizards and tortoises.

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Podarcis siculus campestris - eating a Diptera


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... and some seconds later


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Podarcis muralis nigriventris


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Habitat near Castiglione


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Eucalyptus tree


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.

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Podarcis siculus camprestis


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Rana (Pelophylax) sp.


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Rubus plants and a juvenile Lacerta bilineata


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juvenile Lacerta bilineata


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Podarcis siculus campestris - start mating


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Podarcis siculus campestris - start mating


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Podarcis siculus campestris - start mating


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... the male. 10 minutes later


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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).

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Elaphe quatuorlineata and the regorged birds


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Elaphe quatuorlineata


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Elaphe quatuorlineata


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.

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Quarry near Serrazzano


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Habitat of Podarcis muralis, Lacerta bilineata, Hirophis viridiflavus, Vipera aspis and Chalcides chalcides


And one highlight of the whole trip: Chalcides chalcides.

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Chalcides chalcides


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Chalcides chalcides. Watch the tiny front leg.


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.

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Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina


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Landscape near Saline di Volterra


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
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Re: Tuscany 2009 - part 4 (last)

Postby Konrad Mebert » Wed May 27, 2009 7:29 pm

good there is a lot of culture to enjoy in Italy, a worthy replacement for missing herps. Yet you produced some nice images of herps as well, siculus mating and the poor quatuorlineata. Did you refeed the lost birds? Konrad
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