First I have to apologize for my bad english and perhaps I should introduce myself: My name is Harry and I live in northern Bavaria. I'm on business trip a lot - especially in Nothwest Germany. But from where I live, I can quite easily drive by car in a short time to the natural habitat of most of our herp species in Germany. Bavaria offers an extremely high density of different herp species. Only the German locality of Vipera aspis in the southern Black Forest, I could not even visit. A specially undertaken journey last year I had to stop due to heavy rain.
This Year a short holiday trip with my wife and my daughter in the Bernese Alps should finally provide the opportunity for Vipera aspis to find them in their natural habitat. We were there from August 18th to August 25th, 2012, housed in a nice hotel in Lenk and started our day trips from there.
However, the search in the hottest month of the year also proved to be extremely difficult - the climb around on the slopes at temperatures up to 34 ° C wasn´t very funny.
At the beginning we found at the forest edges only some Zootoca vivipara, but I didn´t try to get good photos.
On a tour to the higher regions we found in a mountain pond many larvae of Mesotriton alpestris
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And on the adjacent edges of woods, under the rocks, we discovered four Salamandra atra in various sizes
But still no Vipera aspis
For peace in the family I had to agree to a trip to a lake and decided to Lake Brienz. We could not see Natrix tesselata but at least Natrix natrix and a small Bufo bufo and also a juvenile Lacerta agilis
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Despite rain and thunderstorms in the night it was as soon as the clouds broke up very quickly warm. That's why I went on the penultimate day at dawn, at the entrance of the Simmental. Soon I can discover some Lacerta muralis partially right on the street.
And then finally I found my first two Vipera aspis in their natural habitat
It was 11 o clock am - and I didn´t even believe in it.- 120823_Vipera_aspis_10.jpg (254.56 KiB) Viewed 6246 times
Apparently in the molting and perhaps injured
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And at last I found a Coronella austriaca near by
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Here is the complete list of the observed herp species during our one week trip to the Switzerland:
Bufo bufo
Salamandra atra
Mesotriton alpestris
Lacerta agilis
Lacerta muralis
Zootoca vivipara
Coronella austriaca
Natrix natrix
Vipera aspis
Today, nearly a week later, I get nervous again…
Maybe I'll show some pictures of reptiles and amphibians from the surrounding area of my hometown in one of my next posts here.Greets
Harry
