A planned trip to the south of Spain for a friends birthday was cancelled and so other holiday plans had to be made, we had never visited the north coast of Spain before and a cheap week away was soon booked. We had no local contacts and previous trip reports did not seem to cover our intended area, even the Collin's field guide seemed to have a blank strip along the coast where not many species were to be found.
We landed in Santander on a sunny afternoon and headed for our apartment after spotting Common wall lizards Podarcis muralis basking in the car park and a quick search on some waste ground near the apartment gave us a Slow worm Anguis fragilis hiding beneath a stone.
After unpacking we took a walk along the riverbank which failed to show any herps but we did admire some of the flowers growing there
These wild carnations smelled beautiful
The orchids looked happy
The next day we walked along the river to an area of pine scrub and sand dunes finding many Common toads Bufo bufo hiding beneath logs at the high water mark
We found little else over the next couple of hours and so retreated to the car for lunch, in the bushes of the car park surrounded by condoms and human waste I found many Green lizards Lacerta Bilineata, I am used to seeing Green lizards as a basic green colour and so got rather excited that I had found Schreiber's green lizard Lacerta schreiberi which would have been a new species for me, alas it seems not to be the case.
Feeling rather pleased with my finds I wandered over to an area with a trickle of fresh water flowing through it, a movement caught my eye and I noticed a small Grass snake Natrix natrix (astreptophra?) in the grass. I bent to pick it up and noticed a shed skin nearby, I thought it belonged to the Grass snake but quickly realised it belonged to a Seoane's viper , this proved to be the driving force for the next week and kept me going when the bad weather had me almost giving up.They have to be here somewhere!
I carried on walking through the heather and spotted what looked like a shiny Slow worm basking on some sand, I realised it was a Three toed skink and took a hurried photo before it disappeared, this was a new species for me.
There were many birds at this site and this one caught my eye and stayed still long enough for a photo, a Stonechat, I think.
The beach was also full of surfers and fishermen, this brave man was determined to keep his fish but lost it soon after this photo.
Monday was our second anniversery and we headed off to the Picos de europa to search for Alpine newts Ichtyosaura alpestris, a common species but I had not seen one in the wild. The journey took us through some breathtaking mountain views but as we arrived the mist came down, here is the cable car disappearing into the clouds.
The mist cleared after several minutes at the top and we found ourselves surrounded by flocks of Alpine Choughs
We set off on our 7 mile trek but some walkers came back and told us that the way ahead was blocked by an avalanche, I noticed a small pond below and headed off down the slope.It proved to be one of those moments where you find the habitat and find the species.
That evening I opened the window of the apartment and could hear Midwife toads Alyetes obstetricans calling from a grassy area nearby, a very frustrating search trying to pinpoint these small toads proved successful.
Tueday was spent dodging the rain showers, we visited a golf course where we had heard frogs calling from a pond. I went to the reception and despite the language barrier managed to get my self understood and get permission to check the pond, this proved to be full of Iberian water frogs
The rest of the day gave just the usual Slow worms ,Green lizards and skinks before a hail storm had us heading back indoors for food and wine. Feeling rather excited at the prospect of a night cruise for amphibians on the wet roads proved to be a waste of time as all we saw were snails.
Back to the mountains again and this time to visit a lake, we stopped en route to look at a roadside mine but all it held was this fearsome looking creature
At the roadside I noticed this water trough and soon found it contained Palmate newts Lissotriton helveticus and Midwife toad tadpoles
We soon arrived at the lake and inbetween rain showers (again) we set off to search the area, I turned a stone at the waters edge and found 5 Midwife toads and a pair of Alpine newts.
Male Midwife toad carrying eggs
We found Lots of Midwife toads, Alpine newts and Palmate newts here but only one Common toad which we found strange. I dont mind a bit of rain but the heavens opened again and we headed back for lower ground. On the way down we stopped to admire a church and saw our only reptile of the day, a Wall lizard.
The next day we were back at the mountains and planning to walk a mountain track to an isolated village, a railtrack was drilled through the mountain in 2000 but until then the only access was a 4 km track that would make a goat nervous, we of course chose the track.
After walking for a while I stopped to flip a stone on the track and found a juvenile Fire salamander, a big surprise and one that was not to be repeated.
Up and up went the track and Griffon vultures Gyps fulvus were our constant companions
We stopped for a while here at this grassy wet area hoping to find some rare exotic amphibian but all we found was a Slow worm!
We finally arrived at the village and after sinking a few welcome beers we headed on our way around the village and back. I spotted a sheet of corrugated iron in a disused garden and turned it only to reveal another Slow worm!
A stop at a water trough was fruitful with the usual suspects , Palmate newts, Alpine newts and Midwife toad tadpoles, I was too weary now to bother photographing them and so we began our descent back.
A night walk along the river once again gave nothing and so I wearily climbed into bed dreaming of Seoane's vipers.
Friday, cold,grey wind and rain. No reptiles out. Toads beneath logs. Almost giving up with this place.
Saturday, Hooray the sun is shining, it's our last day and it's my 49th birthday I love this place.
We start the day with a nervous drive to get some fuel, just made it. We returned to start a search for the Seoane's viper and within 2 minutes of leaving the car I spotted a juvenile in the undergrowth.It was only a few metres from where I had found the skin a few days earlier.It looked as though it had just had a meal.
Feeling flushed with success I carried on walking seeing the usual Green lizards, Three toed skinks and Wall lizards. It was a beautiful day and I felt on top of the world, all my hard work had finally paid off, I looked across at a pile of vegetation and my jaw almost hit the floor. On top of a Pampas grass stump was a pair of Seoane's vipers mating and the female was the striped form, I approached very carefully and took some pictures before walking off to check out a stream. I found nothing in the stream and so returned to the vipers. The male had sought shade but the female was still there in all her beauty. Now, if only I could find one of those pesky Three toed skinks!
As I left the vipers I stepped onto a path leading into the wood and there in front of me was a skink, I looked at him, he looked at me, I slowly raised the camera and got my photo.
A great end to a frustrating holiday, the weather got me down at times but we saw some amazing places and ticked a few new species .