Istria (Croatia), April 2007

[Mario Schweiger]

Hello,

here are some "old" pics from our short trip to western Istria (Croatia), during the easter weekend (6th to 8th April) 2007.
The weather forecast was very good, and so we had been hopefully to see a lot of herps.
When arriving in the morning at Rovinj, no cloud was on the sky and it was pretty warm. And the weather stayed the whole time long!
We searched "along the coast" or a bit into the Hinterland between Rovinj and Pula. On last day we had a quick trip to southeast Istria.

middleage town Dvigrad. It was abandoned in the 15th century after a pest epidemic

We searched inside the town and on the hillsides down to the valley.

View from the valley up to Dvigrad

Here we found Lacerta bilineata, Anguis fragilis, Hierophis viridiflavus, Algyroides nigropunctatus, Podarcis melisellensis and a juvenile Vipera ammodytes

Lacerta bilineata female

Hierophis viridiflavus

Hierophis viridiflavus portrait (as Jürgen says: Black rocks!!!!)

subadult Anguis fragilis

subadult Vipera a. ammodytes male

A bit stream up in the valley there is a small ditch

Bombina variegata in the ditch

Bombina v. variegata

Bombina variegata, ventral view

The next day we searched at some spots between Bale and Pula.

coast near Bale

Podarcis melisellensis male

After we had two stops along the road between Bale and Pula

Hyla arborea

Zamenis longissimus baby

Zamenis longissimus baby

Hierophis gemonensis

Hierophis viridiflavus, baby

On the third day we´ve been looking south of Labin at the east coast of the peninsula

Vipera a. ammodytes female

Vipera a. ammodytes male

coast south of Labin

Podarcis melisellensis fiumana, concolor form

Podarcis melisellensis fiumana, male

Vipera a. ammodytes male

Vipera a. ammodytes, female

Hierophis gemonensis, subadult

Hierophis gemonensis, subadult, portrait

Lacerta bilineata, male

So it was a very very fine weekend!
And I was very happy to see so many of my favorites - the long nose vipers

Mario

[Boris Lauš]

Nice to see some familiar places

I was at town of Dvigrad approximately 2 years ago, but in January, with hiking club. Your findings confirm my thoughts about what can be found there. I guess Natrix can be found there as well, and locals talked about "large brown snakes" - so I suspect E.quatuorlineata is that snake.

Now you gave me a good idea what to do on next easter weekend

Your photos are great! That comes with experience I guess I particulary like that portrait of subadult gemonensis.

Regards,
Boris

[Jürgen Gebhart]

It looks like a successful trip!!!
What a difference to my September trip!!

I was in Istria in the first week of September 2007 for five days.
The days before they had a lot of rain and it was cold, when I arrived it was the first sunny day since a long time! It was not warm and there was a very strong wind, Temperatures between 18 and 20 Degrees.
In the third night there was a big thunder storm and the temperatures drop down to 10 degrees Celsius. The next days were rainy, cloudy, less sun, not warm.
They only alive snake I found was a Hierophis gemonensis.

hierophis 01.jpg

I saw three Podarcis muralis

muralis 01.jpg

One Podarcis siculus

siculus 01.jpg

Five Lacerta bilineata

blilineata 01.jpg

One Emys obicularis

emys 01.jpg

The most lizards I saw were Algyroides nigropunctatus and Podarcis melisellenis

algyroides 01.jpg

meli 01.jpg

A bad trip, but I found more species than at the Krk trip 2009!!!
I never go down there in fall!!!!

[Wolfram Schurig]

Not to bad a trip, I would say! 5 lizard species one great gemonensis and Emys! I have been in Croatia in the same year and only found DOR's (Sheltopusik, Nosehorned Viper, Grass Snake) and and one Algyroides climbing into my camera-bag (the camera was in that bag ...)

Greetings,

Wolfram