Life has been very difficult since the death of my wife Suzanne in June but I know she would want me to carry on travelling and herping and so I began to plan a trip somewhere away from all these reminders. During our travels together, Suzanne saw over 120 species with me and there was no way I was leaving her behind so I set a pinch of her ashes into a resin pendant to carry with me everywhere I go and to introduce her to every new species I find. I narrowed it down to three locations, Montenegro, for the Mosor rock lizard and Prokletije rock lizard, Pyrenees for the three endemic rock lizards or Central Spain for Galan's rock lizard, Cyren's rock lizard and of course the Pena de Francia rock lizard. It was now September and I was unsure of the potential weather conditions in these areas so after some advice I chose Spain.
Sunday 9th Sept
Flying from Birmingham to Madrid I arrived at my airbnb house at 10:30 pm, the door was unlocked as promised but I had to search for the fusebox in the dark to switch the electricity on. I also found the bathroom floor was flooded and there was no wifi, I had left behind the owner's details as I would have of course emailed him via the wifi. Leaving these problems until the morning I sat outside on a sofa, drank a bottle of wine and listened to Midwife toads calling in the distance. It felt very strange to be travelling alone.
Monday 10th Sept
I left the house early and drove south to La Platforma in the Sierra de Gredos where I hoped to find Cyren's rock lizard Iberolacerta cyreni, following the information in another trip report I checked the rocks around the car park area but found nothing so began to climb the cobbled path towards Laguna Grande.
Path by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I searched the boulders and rocks alongside the path but was very disappointed and just as I said to myself "This is rubbish" I spotted a bright green lizard on the pathside. I quickly raised my camera and managed to take a couple of photos before it slid away into the grass. I sat down on a rock feeling very happy with myself that I had seen such a well coloured male Cyren's and almost returned to the car in triumph but decided to carry on along the path to see if there were any others. I reached a small stream crossed by a bridge and decided to stop here for a bite to eat and a cold drink as the morning was beginning to warm up. I checked my camera and found that the previous lizard was in fact a small Schreiber's green lizard Lacerta schreiberi, feeling like a fool but glad that I had carried on up the path I explored this stream section of small pools and waterfalls.
Schreiber's green lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Stream by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I stepped down onto the rocks and a small frog jumped into a little pool, I took a step towards it hoping it may be an Iberian stream frog Rana iberica and then noticed a lizard basking on a nearby rock, I took a few photos of what I assume is a female Cyren's rock lizard and then pulled the frog out of the pool to find it was a small Iberian water frog Pelophylax perezi. I searched this area finding a lot more perezi and another two Cyren's.
4 by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Iberian water frog by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Juvenile Cyren's rock lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Cyren's rock lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Moving on upstream I saw the usual tide of Iberian water frogs leaping into the water ahead of me but soon found what I assume to be an Iberian stream frog Rana iberica a target species for the trip. I sat it upon a rock to take a photo but of course it leapt into the grass and when I reached down to pick it up I put my hand straight onto a small Viperine snake Natrix maura
. Walking on gave another Schreiber's green lizard and another Iberian stream frog so I returned to the car very happy.
074 by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
068 by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Schreibers by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I stopped on my return journey to watch 35 Griffon vultures Gyps fulvus circling very low on a thermal and then pulled into a riverside picnic area where I saw lots of Iberian water frogs, Schreiber's green lizards and some Guadarrama wall lizards Podarcis guadarramae
guadarrama wall lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I drove out of town at night to check a local pond , lot's of Midwife toads calling, a freshly killed Viperine snake on the road and then on the return journey I had to stop to avoid a Western spadefoot toad
Pelobates cultripes
Western spadefoot by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Tuesday 11th Sept
Big day today in my herping life, a trip to Pena de francia to attempt to find the critically endangered Pena de francia rock lizard Iberolacerta martinezricai. I arrived at 09:30 on a very warm morning and began my search at the rear of the buildings but found nothing. Moving round the complex I got very excited when I spotted a lizard coming headfirst down a wall towards me just as I had seen the Sharp snouted rock lizards Dalmatolacerta oxycephala do in Montenegro. Sadly it turned out to be a Guadarrama wall lizard and so did the others in this corner of the site. I wandered around the site for a few hours checking piles of boulders , rock formations and walls but once again found nothing so returned to the wall lizard spot. There was the head of a large lizard looking out from a large rock but he retreated when he saw me and so I sat in the shade and waited for him to reappear. After a few minutes he came back out into the sunshine and I was able to take a few pictures and identify him as an Ocellated lizard Timon lepidus
Pena de francia in distance by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Pena de francia peak by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
wall lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Ocellated lizard at Pena de Francia by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Of course, no visit here is complete with an Ibex photo.
Ibex by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr.
Disappointed and fed up with the heat I returned home
Wed 12th Sept
An early start today of 5 am and a 3.5 hour, 170 mile drive to the Laguna de los pesces to look for Galan's rock lizard Iberolacerta galani.
laguna de los peces by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I walked down to the lake and soon spotted a snake skin between the stones of the wall quickly followed by a snake heading into the wall, it was a Viperine snake Natrix maura about to shed it's skin.
viperine snake about to shed by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I crept along beside the wall finding a few more Vipeine snakes and then at last a Galan's rock lizard.
Viperine snakes in wall by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Galan's rock lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Juvenile Galan's wall lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Galan's wall lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Right then, that's two out of three rock lizards ticked off and three days left to find Pena de Francia.
two down , one to go by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
A smaller pond near the car park was as suspected full of Iberian water frogs so I moved back down the hill to Lake Sanabria where I hoped to see Bocage's wall lizard Podarcis bocagei.
Lake Sanabria by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
When I arrived at the lake,most of the area I wanted to look at was still in shade but walking around the shoreline brought me to an area in sunshine and I soon spotted what I took to be Bocage's wall lizards
Bocage's wall lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
BOCAGE'S WALL LIZARD by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Unfortunately, they later proved to be Guadarrama wall lizards, subspecies lusitanica. A long drive back to a lonely house was only improved by the thought of several cold beers waiting for me in the fridge.
Thursday 13th Sept
Another lovely hot day and a drive back to Pena de Francia with possibly a better idea of where to look. I checked the lower slopes and slowly worked my way to the summit, at one point I saw something poke out from a wall and took a hasty photo but having left my glasses back at the house, I found it hard to focus on what I had seen, later proved to be a lizard!I did the usual sweep of the summit and so dropped down the slope and searched an adjacent hillside for a couple of hours once again finding nothing. Telling myself not to be lazy I returned to the summit and out onto the peak and did another circuit finding just a few wall lizards and Ibex again. I wearily made my way back towards the buildings with a massive feeling of defeat and climbed the steps at the top of which was a small viewpoint almost like a pulpit in a church. I said to myself "One last look at the view", "Don't be stupid Kevin , you have been looking at this view for hours", "Don't be so lazy , it's only two steps" and so I climbed up to have one last look at the view, I then looked down at my feet and couldn't believe my eyes. There , just inches from my feet was surely a juvenile Pena de Francia rock lizard!!!. I looked at the lizard , the lizard looked at me, I looked at my camera, wrong lens "F**K", I told the lizard not to go anywhere and ran back to the car to quickly change my lens. I returned to find it half in the shade but when I put my hand down to gently persuade it to move, it climbed onto my hand.
Pena de francia by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Ibex on peak by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
searching for lizards by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Pena de francia by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Pena de francia rock lizard by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Success by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Friday 14th Sept
I was n't really sure what to do with the rest of my holiday now I had found my target species so returned to an area I had visited unsuccessfully with Suzanne in 2016. I started by searching a grassy hillside with lots of terrace walls hoping to find a Lataste's viper basking in the morning sun but found nothing but a few quick and noisy unidentified lizards. Going back to the valley bottom I soon spotted a Large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirus and a few Iberian water frogs along the stream edge. I searched a boulder scree slope in a nearby woodland for vipers but as usual found nothing so headed for some ponds a few miles away hoping for an Iberian tree frog Hyla molleri. I walked though the shallows of the almost dried up pond flushing hundreds of Iberian water frogs before me and as I stood in front of a large reed bed with a feeling of failure hanging over me I said to myself " This is stupid, I don't even know how high they, OOOOH look there's one !" I was very happy with this situation as the alternative was to stay until dark and play calls through my laptop speaker and hope for a reply and so I began a very happy 2 hr drive back.
Robledondo stream by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Large psammodromus by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Zarzalejo pond by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Iberian tree frog by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Iberian tree frog by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Saturday 15th Sept
Drove to some nearby ponds and walked around the area checking bushes and walls, lifted a stone and found a small Natterjack toad Epidalea calamita, a few Large psaammodromus and lots of Iberian water frogs. Returned to the house and packed ready for the journey home in the morning.
Natterjack toad by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Overall a good trip with 7 new species seen but very strange to be travelling alone, good to be out and about looking for stuff but the downtime was not too good. Thanks to Paul Lambourne for some advice and Peter Oefinger for some help with ID.
Species seen
Iberian tree frog
Iberian stream frog
Iberian water frog
Guadarramma wall lizard
Occelated lizard
Large psammodromus
Cyren's rock lizard
Galan's rock lizard
Pena de Francia rock lizard
Viperine snake
Natterjack toad
Schreiber's green lizard
Western spadefoot