(My) First Berus of the Season!

[Jürgen Gebhart]

I visited my favorite Herping place this morning.
Three weeks ago when I was there everything was still sleeping, beside a few Zootoca.
Today I found a lot of Zootoca, best time of the year to picture them.

My frist Natrix of the Season

My first fragilis of the Season

Three berus

I´m still waiting for my first agilis

Three weeks ago everything was all right in the area, but it happen something the past Days.
Summer sun basking place of gravid berus – destroyed!

Mating puddle of Bombina variegata – destroyed!
(Liam this is the place where we pictured the Bombina last year, do you remember?)

Every night when I go to bed I hate the human race more and more!

[Dominik Hauser]

I really hate the german delusinal sense of order in nature! Sorry for you Jürgen, such things really makes you cry.
I´m just back from the forest, digging out mud of an old Bombina pond beside the path and now I see your picture... no words.

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I think I would go to the local forester explain him the situation.

[Guillaume Gomard]

Cool pictures, Jürgen, and sad story at the end. I also had a similar experience with one of my best spot for V.aspis in France. During the months of winter I was looking forward observing the vipers again and when I came for the first time in Spring, I realized that their habitat had been completely destroyed by a bulldozer. I never found a viper in that place again

[Liam Russell]

Mating puddle of Bombina variegata – destroyed!
(Liam this is the place where we pictured the Bombina last year, do you remember?)

I do Where I struggled for this poor photo...


Bombina variegata by liam.agilis, on Flickr

I'm sorry Jürgen. These things happen too often. Despite the fact all these animals are protected. This just seems so pointless too...

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Well, there's always the option of trying to weigh on the management of these places. I would go homicidal if someone would destroy my salamander fun (and obviously a viable and valuable population).

[Thomas Reich]

I really hate the german delusinal sense of order in nature!

The same problem here in Switzerland. Even creating new "disorder" in species conservation projects is meticulously planned: two piles of branches here (the branches placed as parallel as possible), four piles of stones there (consisting of 45 stones each, with an interspace between the piles of 2.5 meters)...

[Peter Oefinger]

OMG. Jürgen, I think we have been at this bombina spot together. What a shame!

[Berislav Horvatic]

I really hate the german delusinal sense of order in nature! Sorry for you Jürgen,
such things really makes you cry.
I´m just back from the forest, digging out mud of an old Bombina pond beside
the path and now I see your picture... no words.

Well, of course, Ordnung muss sein! Oder...?!

May I quote a great German, the immortal Bertold Brecht:

"When NO thing is in the RIGHT place, that is called DISORDER.
And when EACH thing is (or rather: HAS BEEN PUT) in a WRONG
place, that's called ORDER."

As a born German, he understood these issues better than anybody else...

But don't you worry, this "German delusinal sense of order in nature" has been
spreading all over the place - nothing for the Germans to be ashamed of...

There used to be a ditch, overgrown with bushes on both sides, which was
the absolutely best hotspot of Vipera berus bosniensis in the surroundings
of Zagreb, not to mention that it was amidst our monitoring patch... One day
the almighty state firm "Croatian Waters" appeared with their heavy machinery,
and "cleared" (regulated?!) the ditch, stripping it of all the vegetation that had
been the home of numerous adders. Our best spot razed to the ground, further
monitoring heavilly compromised, not to mention the destiny of the animals...
And they (the "Croatian Waters") promised us to come back in seven years or so,
regular bussines as usual...

[Jürgen Gebhart]

I think I would go to the local forester explain him the situation.

I was asking myself what I made wrong.
Why was it not possible for me to protect the Bombina place.
Was it my fault?
I think no, because the puddle was beside a well-known trail
Known by the forester, the woodworkers and at least by the lower conservation authority!!!

[Jürgen Gebhart]

OMG. Jürgen, I think we have been at this bombina spot together. What a shame!

No Peter, but the place we visited is in the same area.
I will look for it on Sunday, I`m a little bit afraid.

This is the place we have been

mating puddle from the past years

living puddle

Sun basking pic

What you Guy`s think will I find it in the same Situation like in the past ten years???