Andalucia.

[Ray Hamilton]

Having mainly been content to sit back and read other members posts I realise that maybe a more proactive contribution is overdue. Here follows some observations made during an extended stay in southern Spain.

The bulk of the photographs are from the area surrounding our temporary home near Alhaurin de la Torre in the province of Malaga. The garden was stony and overgrown, nearby were water meadows and rocky hillsides. The grounds surrounding the villa included a lemon grove on a steep, sunny bank.


Turkish Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus), Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica), Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) and Iberian Worm Lizards (Blanus cinereus) were frequently seen either around the house or in the grounds.




Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica).




Juvenile Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus)


Iberian Worm Lizard - (Blanus cinereus)


Blanus cinereus


A small nature reserve on the coast was visited often and rarely disappointed with something interesting to watch. The Horseshoe Whip Snakes (Hemorrhois hippocrepis) were the most frequently sighted snakes. All sizes could be seen basking among the rocks alongside the path – sometimes adults and juveniles together.


Horseshoe Whip Snake - (Hemorrhois hippocrepis)


Horseshoe Whip Snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis)









Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica), many minus tails, could also be spotted between the crevices.
Montpellier snakes (Malpolon monspessulanus) were seen basking on exposed walls and earthworks.


Montpellier Snake - (Malpolon monspessulanus)

The numerous freshwater lakes on the reserve were a magnet to some interesting birdlife and during our many visits we managed to tick off Purple Gallinule, White-headed Duck, Audouins Gull, Curlew Sandpiper and Greater Flamingo.



In the sunshine the lake and river banks were dotted with Spanish Terrapins (Mauremys leprosa). They were also found wandering on the beach and one unfortunate individual was seen being rolled up and down the tideline by particularly angry looking waves.


Spanish Terrapin - (Mauremys leprosa)

A river running through the reserve washed all types of things up onto the beach. When the torrential winter rains began, walking along the beach took on a rather macabre turn as the bodies of drowned animals began to appear on the sand. Dogs, sheep and goats – also a horse complete with bridle. Thankfully we weren’t about when the body of a missing farm worker washed up here.



In early January the temperatures dropped away considerably, especially on the hills surrounding our village. One morning we sat in spot out of the chilly wind to watch two young lads on the far side of the valley searching around the low bushes. After half an hour one had clearly found the object they had been looking for and both then headed back to the village. Even through binoculars I couldn’t see what they had found. Jogging down from our vantage point we eventually caught up, finding them standing at the front door of one of the houses. The door was opened by a young lady who was then presented with their findings, a small chameleon. Clearly thrilled with her gift the young man got a hug. Seeing us watching nearby she waved us over to see her new ‘pet’.


The Gift.

[Ray Hamilton]

Chamaeleo chamaeleon turned up at fairly regular intervals throughout our stay, both around the garden and up in the hills. Hatchlings were found between mid January and late February.














Amphibians locally found included the East Iberian Painted Frog - (Discoglossus jeanneae). Patterns varied quite markedly between individuals.







Iberian Water Frog (Pelophylax perezi).






Iberian Parsley Frog - (Pelodytes ibericus).




Southern common toad. (Bufo bufo spinosus) - including this huge female.



Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita).





The Natterjack breeding season started in early February and toads were still spawning in April.










The increase in amphibian activity marked the appearance of Viperine Snakes (Natrix maura) hunting tadpoles along the water filled channels and among the blanket weed in the streams.










Although the seasonal rainfall was very high the sun was still strong enough to desiccate the shallow puddles that many tadpoles found themselves stranded in.





Tadpoles of Natterjack Toad trapped in drying puddle (Epidalea calamita)


Newly emerged Natterjack Toads


One lizard I was keen to photograph was the Eyed Lizard. A nearby site bearing some ancient ruins proved to be a particularly good hunting ground for them. A couple of juveniles were found under ground cover, however the adults seemed far harder to approach.






Surprisingly, one morning I turned a piece of wood under which was an adult eyed lizard, it was the only time I actually found an adult under cover. Without too much thought I decided to grab the lizard and take it back to the villa for some photographs in a more controlled environment. Hoping at last for a couple of decent shots I took some time creating a natural looking ‘set’ in the garden. I used large rocks from the grounds and included some sturdy branches. It was positioned against a wall which would hopefully dissuade the lizards escape and two old wooden doors that I had been using as ground cover in the lemon orchard were hastily arranged ‘off shot’ to further hinder any exit stage left (or right). Finally my wife, Sue, who was keen to see what was going on, was stationed at a possible weak spot near the wall to act as a kind of lizard “sweeper.”

I feel it right to point out I have never before or since gone to this much trouble to stage a wildlife photo. I am almost exclusively an in situ photographer. Finally, with the preparations complete, I carefully extracted the lizard from the cloth bag and took a couple of ‘in hand’ shots of the head. The lizard repaid my attentions by emptying the copious contents of its stomach over my trousers.




With camera poised I leant down and slowly arranged him on a suitable rock within my set. By the time I had stepped back and raised my camera the lizard was no longer in shot. To my left I heard Sue using rather surprising expletives as the eyed lizard cleared the wooden barricade and ran straight at her, darting between her feet and vanishing into the thick undergrowth behind us.

Eventually I was able to photograph another adult male by using a hire car as a mobile hide. The lizard that escaped into the garden soon found a territory to his liking and we often saw him among the lemon trees.

[Ray Hamilton]

Snakes turned up at fairly regular intervals both in the garden and also in the surrounding hills.

Ladder snakes (Rhinechis scalaris) were the commonest find. Unfortunately many were found dead on the local roads.
Temperament between the individuals varied from snake to snake. The adults seemed fairly placid.










False Smooth Snakes (Macroprotodon brevis) turned up in the stick piles in the grounds and also under stones on the nearby hills.






Spanish psammodromus (Psammodromus hispanicus) were less frequently seen than algirus. They were absent from the garden and grounds. A nearby golf course, with sandier soil and scrubby areas seemed to be a preferred habitat for them.




Whilst searching among some rock piles at the golf course we disturbed a large black spider. Unfortunately the act of turning over the large stone had torn open the web and she wasn’t very pleased. Andalusian Funnel-web (Macrothele calpeiana).
Every effort was made to replace the heavy rock back in its original position. This meant teasing her further into the open so we didn’t crush her.








Although several more were found around the golf course none matched the size as our original spider.

A couple of other sites that were visited and worthy of mention here.
The area of lakes around Ardales and Campilos were beautiful and well worth an inclusion on any itinerary. The wild flowers were spectacular in the Spring. I would love to revisit the area and have a longer time to search around. Unfortunately we were restricted to day trips.





Although the area is some distance in from the coast it still falls short of the southern edge of the range of Podarcis hispanica. The well patterned individuals here should therefore be Andalusian Wall lizards (Podarcis vaucheri).




The village of El Chorro is also worthy of a visit. The dizzying Kings Path (El Caminito Del Rey) had been closed for sometime during our visits. I’m quite pleased really as it meant I didn’t have to make a decision to give it a go or not. Thrill seekers do still climb up to it but it appeared to be in a pretty poor state from what could be seen. (The local media did report someone had fallen to their death from the path not long after our final visit). YouTube has some interesting footage of people walking the path.


Guadalhorce river at El Chorro.


The Kings Path, El Chorro

The lakes to the north, at Fuente de Piedra, are home to one of the largest populations of Flamingos in Europe. The unusually high rainfall in the early part of the year meant it was one of the best breeding seasons ever for the flamingos. Although the main flocks could only be seen at a distance as a pink mass there were still lots of smaller groups that could be seen at close quarters.





The Natural park at Sierra de Las Nieves was also an interesting place to visit. Reptiles seen included more Podarcis vaucheri.





Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) seemed to be concentrated in a couple of areas. The striped juveniles were very active during the sunny part of the day. I couldn’t work out if their arm lifting behaviour was an attempt to signal to other lizards or maybe just a way of regulating the heat radiating from the hot rocks.


Habitat of Spiny-footed Lizard - (Acanthodactylus erythrurus)










Pine processionary caterpillars (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) were also on the move during one visit. Something I have never seen before.




A few shots of some of the other inhabitants of the garden and lemon grove;

Mantis religiosa – very common.






Empusa egena – not so common.



Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi).



Buthus occitanus – fairly common under ground cover.



Wolf Spider (Hogna radiata).



Finally a strange cloud pattern that appeared one evening in the skies above the valley.





Thanks for viewing.

[Peter Oefinger]

Great shots. I like the in situ snake pictures. How long have you been there?
Regards
Peter

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Enjoyed!!!

Is that Trithemis common nowadays (as it only entered Europe not too long ago)?

[Mario Schweiger]

Great pictures and a really impressive collection on herps (and other stuff) of this area

I like the green calamita!

Mario

[Jürgen Gebhart]

WOW, Great!!!!

[Ray Hamilton]

Thanks for the positive feedback.

Peter Oefinger;

Great shots. I like the in situ snake pictures. How long have you been there?

Sadly moved on a while ago. The house we were looking after was on the market and has now sold. We were there from August 2009 to October 2010.

Jeroen Speybroeck;

Is that Trithemis common nowadays (as it only entered Europe not too long ago)?

There were several about but not as common as other species. The one in the photograph turned up every day around the swimming pool and would sit on the edge, which is how I managed to photograph it against the bright blue background.

[Bobby Bok]

Chameleons, in situ pictures of snakes, cool amphibians, great scenery and some intersting invertebrates and birds as well, Love it!

[Neil Rowntree]

Thanks for sharing. Ladder snake shots are delightful!