Bye bye to the year 2015. Last herp trip. Picos de Europa

[Gabriel Martínez]

Hi guys,

The cold is arriving to Spain, and we decided to expend last weekend in Picos de Europa to say good bye to the season. Our goal was to find a strange individual of Picos de Europa of Vipera seoanei with "kaznakovi" morphotype. We hadn´t exact spots and we didn´t ask for it, we wanted to try by ourselves. Me and Alejandro Carreras, a young promise for the spanish herpetology.

First day we met in Picos de Europa with a friend, Nocko and he was with a friend. First day we visited a place that they know with many "bilineata" individuals of seoanei. The day began good, and we could see a normal bilineata. Nockos friend saw 2 more but they escaped... many Podarcis muralis, a few Lacerta bilineata but not more...

70. Habitat.jpg (451.18 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

71. Podarcis muralis male.jpg (376.35 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

72. Podarcis muralis female.jpg (332.59 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

73. Team photographing seoanei.jpg (410.06 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

74. Vipera seoanei, bilineata.jpg (462.2 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

After eating we visited other place and Nockos car broke, so he and his friend decided to return to home. Alejandro and me were studing the weather and we decided to expend a day more in Picos de Europa. During the night was rainning but the tent was enought strong against the rains.

We visited one of the most common spots in Picos. It was full of people. The metamorfic newts and Alytes were everywhere, even being hitting with the sun. Some lizards also appear with the sun. Seeing so many people we decided to leave that place and go to more calm places.

75. Lake.jpg (318.42 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

76. Stones.jpg (385.64 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

76. w I alpestris.jpg (210.09 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

We continue with the car and we found a DOR snake in road. It was a Vipera seoanei with a not very contrasted bilineata morph. We stopped the car and continue walking in the habitat and we found a very nice unicolour seoanei basking (also in the tail with a slight bilineata). And just a few moments later, the amazing kaznakovi morphotype, one of the nicest vipers in Europe.

77. Vipera seoanei habitat.jpg (423.2 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

78. Vipera seoanei DOR.jpg (446.05 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

79. Vipera seoanei, unicolour morphotype.jpg (300.55 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

80. Vipera seoanei, kaznakovi like morph.jpg (416.89 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

81. Vipera seoanei, kaznakovi like morph.jpg (309.4 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

After some photos and seeing that weather would be worse and worse according to forecast we decided to return to Madrid. In Burgos we made a quick stop. No reptiles actived, only a Coronella girondica DOR of days later and flipping stones the only herp was a nice Epidalea calamita.

85. Burgos area.jpg (248.15 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

86. Epidalea calamita.jpg (326.87 KiB) Viewed 10455 times

With this trip we say good bye to the season. Hopefully in march we will continue herping! More photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gabrimtnezmarmol/

Cheers and hope that you find the short trip interesting

[Mario Schweiger]

nice report Gabri
The "kazna" looks really great.
I remember one (but very dark brown, not black) just 2 or 3 km south of the village Cavadonga in spring 1994.

[Martti Niskanen]

^ Second Mario. The "kazna" seoanei is a stunner.

[Christoph Stenger]

Great Pix! I just love the variability in seoanei!

Makes me jealous!

[Andre Schmid]

Wow, very nice ! These pics remember me on our (Daniel, Micha and Felix) tour back in 2011, I think we saw the same kaznakovi seoanei (or his brother )! Beautiful. Thanks for sharing !

[Peter Oefinger]

Season farewell tours are always somekind of sad. But you still can go to the Spanish Levante in winter or even go out for amphibians

Anyhow: very nice seoanei - thanks for posting...

[Niklas Ban]

Congratulations, nice findings!

[Gabriel Martínez]

Thanks all for your comments!

Yes Mario, I think that In Covandonga - Cangas de Onis área there are many bilineata (90% of individuals according to a paper of Saint Girons). Our surprise was the unicolour viper there. Asturias is cool for vipers

Yes Andre. I remember well your trip to north Spain. Many huge coocool vipers. Your kaznakovi looks a bit dark but very similar. I wonder if you would repeat that trip in southern Spain to find gaditana in Doñana and reddish latastei in Alcornocales

Yes Peter. But I am a bit lazy about going to coast. Maybe I will make a exit to find amphibians in next months but I am not sure. In march - April I find always many amphibians so the best probably is to wait for

Michael, I don't understand "refugee "? last 2 vipers where close to stones cracks. Probably ready for sleep in the middle of the strong snow in the next months...

[Berislav Horvatic]

I meant that a kazna in Spain must be a refugee. maybe no political joking here... :-O

Did you really mean "maybe", or what? A slip of tongue? Poor English? (Wouldn't say so...)
(I'm certainly not one of those fighters for "political correctness", on the contrary, so I'm
just asking for the fun of it...)

[Dominik Hauser]

Wow beautiful animal! Amazing landscape there.
I was in this region last year at about the same time with a friend.