Porto
Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 10:24 pmFeeling rather flushed with success following my recent trip to central Spain and rather bored sitting at home by myself, I booked a short trip to Porto in Portugal. The main targets for the trip were the Madeira wall lizard Teira dugesii , Bocage's wall lizard Podarcis bocagei that I had missed on the Spanish trip and also to try and find a Gold striped Salamander Chioglossa l lusitanica from the population below the Mondego river.
Thursday Nov 1st
After flying into Porto on a cold and cloudy day, I drove to the local park where I had seen people had taken photographs of Bocage's wall lizards. The habitat looked great with lots of stone walls and structures but the weather was wrong and there was no sign of life, I pressed on with the search and at 1pm the sun came out. I sat down for 30 mins to let the place warm up and retraced my steps, passing a large wall I noticed some movement and creeping forward I soon had the first species of the trip, Bocage's wall lizard.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted some movement again and realised that the lump of moss was actually an Ocellated lizard Timon lepidus
sunning itself, another one appeared at my feet, with it's colours looking beautiful in the sunshine.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr.
A walk around the park gave more of the same species so I headed off to check into my apartment feeling rather pleased with myself.
Friday Nov 2nd
Up early and a 3 hour drive south to Lisbon to try and find the Madeira wall lizard. Driving through showers of rain my mood dipped but as I neared the coast the sun came out again briefly and as I parked the car I recognised the precise location where Bobby Bok and Sander had stood in a previous report. I noticed a lump of concrete in the bushes and thought to myself" Could this be the same block" I lifted it and found two Madeira wall lizards beneath, blimey, that was easy! Walking along the hedge revealed several more lizards basking on the stumps of the pruned bushes.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I then drove to a couple of locations within Lisbon for some inner city herping but they didn't look like the sort of place to leave a car so I carried on to more favourable locations. I planned to walk along a hilltop dirt track looking for Western Psammodromus Psammodromus occidentalis but once again the weather closed in and the intended area was cold and foggy.
Driving back to Porto on the main highway I pulled into a toilet/picnic area and soon noticed lots of Geniez's wall lizards Podarcis virescens along the fence and basking on a small structure.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Saturday 3rd Nov
Another early start with another three hour drive south, I must learn to book accommodation nearing the areas to be searched.This time the target was the Gold striped Salamander, I had already found the species on a trip to the Picos de Europas but wanted to find one from the southern population. Driving through the hills I came to a hair pin bend that obviously crossed a stream so I parked up and looked over the bridge to see a small stream full of stones, perfect. I excitedly climbed down one side and began to slowly lift stones expecting an easy find but my optimism slowly faded as I found nothing. I climbed back up to the road and then down the other side of the bridge and once again started the process, my heart skipped a beat when I flipped a stone but realised it was a Fire salamander Salamandra salamandra larvae that lifted into the current and was gone. Moving to a pile of stones out of the water, I turned one and there it was, a Gold Striped Salamander Chioglossa l lusitanica.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
I climbed up the very steep bank back to the road and after smashing my way out through bramble bushes I noticed a plastic road sign lying in the grass, I lifted this and was pleased to find a young Fire salamander hiding beneath.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Leaving here I drove 60 miles east to visit a quarry with Dinosaur footprints crossing the floor, I was rather underwhelmed by this experience and headed for home stopping once again at the picnic area to try and get some better photos of the lizards there.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr
The rest of the day was spent packing and finishing the beer.
Thursday Nov 1st
After flying into Porto on a cold and cloudy day, I drove to the local park where I had seen people had taken photographs of Bocage's wall lizards. The habitat looked great with lots of stone walls and structures but the weather was wrong and there was no sign of life, I pressed on with the search and at 1pm the sun came out. I sat down for 30 mins to let the place warm up and retraced my steps, passing a large wall I noticed some movement and creeping forward I soon had the first species of the trip, Bocage's wall lizard.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrOut of the corner of my eye I spotted some movement again and realised that the lump of moss was actually an Ocellated lizard Timon lepidus
sunning itself, another one appeared at my feet, with it's colours looking beautiful in the sunshine.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on Flickr.A walk around the park gave more of the same species so I headed off to check into my apartment feeling rather pleased with myself.
Friday Nov 2nd
Up early and a 3 hour drive south to Lisbon to try and find the Madeira wall lizard. Driving through showers of rain my mood dipped but as I neared the coast the sun came out again briefly and as I parked the car I recognised the precise location where Bobby Bok and Sander had stood in a previous report. I noticed a lump of concrete in the bushes and thought to myself" Could this be the same block" I lifted it and found two Madeira wall lizards beneath, blimey, that was easy! Walking along the hedge revealed several more lizards basking on the stumps of the pruned bushes.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrI then drove to a couple of locations within Lisbon for some inner city herping but they didn't look like the sort of place to leave a car so I carried on to more favourable locations. I planned to walk along a hilltop dirt track looking for Western Psammodromus Psammodromus occidentalis but once again the weather closed in and the intended area was cold and foggy.
Driving back to Porto on the main highway I pulled into a toilet/picnic area and soon noticed lots of Geniez's wall lizards Podarcis virescens along the fence and basking on a small structure.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrSaturday 3rd Nov
Another early start with another three hour drive south, I must learn to book accommodation nearing the areas to be searched.This time the target was the Gold striped Salamander, I had already found the species on a trip to the Picos de Europas but wanted to find one from the southern population. Driving through the hills I came to a hair pin bend that obviously crossed a stream so I parked up and looked over the bridge to see a small stream full of stones, perfect. I excitedly climbed down one side and began to slowly lift stones expecting an easy find but my optimism slowly faded as I found nothing. I climbed back up to the road and then down the other side of the bridge and once again started the process, my heart skipped a beat when I flipped a stone but realised it was a Fire salamander Salamandra salamandra larvae that lifted into the current and was gone. Moving to a pile of stones out of the water, I turned one and there it was, a Gold Striped Salamander Chioglossa l lusitanica.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrI climbed up the very steep bank back to the road and after smashing my way out through bramble bushes I noticed a plastic road sign lying in the grass, I lifted this and was pleased to find a young Fire salamander hiding beneath.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrLeaving here I drove 60 miles east to visit a quarry with Dinosaur footprints crossing the floor, I was rather underwhelmed by this experience and headed for home stopping once again at the picnic area to try and get some better photos of the lizards there.
Untitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrUntitled by Kevin Byrnes, on FlickrThe rest of the day was spent packing and finishing the beer.
well said Jeroen, I guess that's kind of how it was, I was based in Porto and intended to herp that area as well but the weather was rubbish and time was short.
