First Herps of 2012

[Peter Oefinger]

First visit in this area and quite successful

Congrats, also for the Natrix - I also should have a closer look at the local playgrounds...

[Laura Bok]

from my bedroom window I heared lot's of Natterjack toads calling

From your bedroom window?! Unfortunately I can only hear the cosy sound of the urban railway from my 6th-floor-flat in Munich center...

However, during a trip round Easter to Northwestern Germany I finally found Bufo calamita, Salamandra salamandra terrestris and Alytes obstetricans. In case of the toads, these were not only the first specimens of 2012, but also lifers for me. Long over-due...

[Sandra Panienka]

Very cool pics, Laura! The Alytes are cool, they would be a lifer for me as well.

[Bobby Bok]

from my bedroom window I heared lot's of Natterjack toads calling

From your bedroom window?! Unfortunately I can only hear the cosy sound of the urban railway from my 6th-floor-flat in Munich center...

Come and live here then

But I love the Alytes shots, especially the one of the two Alytes together on a rock. Feeling even more sad I didn't find any last weekend...

Today some Lacerta agilis in the dunes, some poolfrogs, toads and grass frogs and my local Trachemys has woken up.

[Laura Bok]

Feeling even more sad I didn't find any last weekend...

Come and live here then

[Bobby Bok]

Haha, luckily I also have some Alytes near where I live, so no need to emigrate!

[Laura Bok]

Ok, point taken...you are welcome to visit any time nevertheless

[Kristian Munkholm]

I could use some Alytes up here

Pretty much everything has woken up around here by now. So far I've got 14 of our native 19 species this year - haven't looked for the remaining 5 or the aliens yet.
Latest addition was a cute little shiny thing suddenly wriggling about in the grass in front of me yesterday as I was sitting quietly looking at a dark adder waititng for it to come closer. I ended up spooking the adder when trying in vain to get decent pictures of the squirmy little critter





After a quiet couple of weeks as something almost like winterreturned at the start of April slightly better weather over the last few days has brought about a bit more activity. The sand lizards that came out a couple of weeks ago are now cleaner and - in the case of the males - beginning to get a little greener.



Also, the moor frogs are finally breeding (well, I guess by now they are just about done). Alas, no blue ones this year. In these parts colouration of breeding males seems to depend heavily on weather and / or water temperature. We don't see blue males at all locations, nor every year.

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Laura, what species is that strange black and yellow tailed amphibian? Where can I buy one?

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After weeeeeeeeeeks of spending weekends pretending to be a responsable pre-parent, working around the house, I finally got a day out yesterday. To my shame, I was apparently too lazy to take more than a few shots and not really any decent ones

Hopped across the border. Vive la France !

Jan VDV in habitat of Pelodytes punctatus, Alytes obstetricans, Bufo calamita, Podarcis muralis, ...


2 mighty pelodyties as flipped


yum-yum...

[Sandra Panienka]

@Jeroen: The adder pic is great, but photo-wise you really didn't do the Pelodytes any justice. Shame on you. *g*