Herping was kinda slow ...

[Vlad Cioflec]

This weekend my buddy Florin and i roadcruised some less traveled roads near the bulgarian border, in southern Dobroudja. The weather was kinda crappy but we did see lots of stuff and had a blast, as we always do.

Four species were seen including Green Toad, Grass and Dice Snake, but the only moving herp was this one. Can you spot it?

The birds proved to be better photo subjects, and i even got a long awaited lifer, the Caspian Tern!

Camouflaged Stonechat

Beautiful Sterna caspia

Funny Little Owl

I think it`s safe to say the fieldherping season is over in Romania, but the hard-core birding part of the year is upon us.

Thanks for reading,
Vlad

[Mario Schweiger]

Is there a real herp on the picture - or this Pelophylax only?

Mario

[Vlad Cioflec]

Good one Mario!

But, after photographing all sorts of frozen road-pizzas all day long, finding this little Marsh Frog hopping around that evening was a real blessing, believe it or not.

[Ilian Velikov]

Nice birds,Vlad!

How close to the Bulgarian border/Danube were you? There are two species of Pelophylax there?

[Vlad Cioflec]

Ilian, we came as close to the border as we could. The roads we hunted on delivered for a friend of mine lots of cool stuff, all in the right season of course.
In spring one could find hermanni and graeca, ammodytes, even sauromates! Throw in most european raptors, some wolves and jackals and i think you got the picture of how valuable this stretch of road really is.

We should try it sometime!