fieldherping.eu

Me and my girlfriend still had some vacation. Situation was getting worse and worse here, so we quickly pick a destination - Sardinia, pack our campervan and set off at 26.9. Long drive, have to stop somewhere behind Udine to have some sleep. Our ferry goes in the Sunday evening, so we had a lot of time to get there. We visited a Leaning tower, still stands
Ferry control took us side and wanted to see our luggages. When we open a trunk and they see our mess, just waved a hand, checked our temperature and let us go.

cliffs around Livorno


We arrived to Golfo Aranci early morning, rainy cold wather, so we headed south to check some nerby caves. I´m a total cave newbie, so I searched on the map and pick some. On the way we met nobody, just sheeps and dogs, which was not sure if they want to cuddle or eat us Maybe because they loves to grow a weed. Cave was very cool, unfortunately no speleomantes, just a lot of bats around. On the way back I tried to flip some stones and found an Ocelated skink.








Other day, still cloudy, we checked some other caves more south, Some of them was closed by bars and again, no speleomantes. But around these caves I found many tiliguertas and two viridiflavus. One of them had an interesting bluish pattern. On the way back I stopped near some smaller caves around the road and finally found first Speleomantes supramontis.










This cave was probably a highlight of our trip, hidden, nobody there - a beautiful huge chamber full of Speleomantes supramontis.


[
[
[

Probably prettiest tiliguerta male was waiting in front of the cave.


Emys orbicularis in nearby ponds and a sneaky donkey who really wants to get in our car.




to be continued...

nice pictures, Tomas.
the Hierophis azureus looks great
I remember the "castle" on your first pic as an abandoned building

Lovely, I am looking forward to the rest of your report. That Hierophis was beautiful, I found one coloured like that on Corsica.

Thanks! And here is the rest. After that cave exploring days I had to promise we will also spend some days on beaches. I survived some unproductive basking and swiming, so we can move south to a Gorropu canyon. Couple times I heared a hyla calling, but was not able to find it. Only found a Discoglossus after dark.









Next destination was for sure a Sette Fratelli park where I desperately wanted to see a barred grass snake. I searched two different streams all day with no success. Water level was ok I guess, relatively low temperatures in the morning (around 14°C). I only found a babies of Discoglossus and lot of Algyroides










Other Day I do not want to gave it up, came back earlier in the morning, but with no success again :/ After asps around Garda lake, I have to go back for cetti too..

Flamingoes everywhere on the south, also lot of herons and kingfishers






We slowly continue by eastern coast north. I let my girlfriend on Spiaggia delle Dune and went to try to find other species of cave salamander - Speleomantes genei. Found two huge mines/caves but with no salamander inside. On the way back I discovered a little hole just couple meters behind the huge one where I quickly spotted salamander on the wall. I saw about 20 salamanders in this cave, strange that I did not find one in two nearby caves before. Outside there were lot of Italian wall lizards, which I did not see till this day. Only tiliguerta.








In theese dunes I tried to find a Testudo species, also hippocrepis should occur here. But temperatures were very low. Only chance was fliping things which delivered youngster viridiflavus, some tiliguertas and Algyroides.





Saurons´s nurhag on the way.


Bosa and Alghero surroundings. I finally found some Testudo species - 4 Hermann's tortoise around fresh water lake, also some moorish geckoes, Italian wall lizards and a huge viridiflavus crossed our way.












Rest of our sardinian trip we spent more or less without herping in north east coast and Caprera island. Only saw usual suspects - tiliguertas & viridiflavus.





basking viridiflavus

some old military buildings

Star Wars like 2nd World War fortification on Caprera island








And last tiliguerta which likes my shirt as a basking place.


Hope you like it and hope this forum will live again soon. I´d love to read all those reports here...
Cheers!
t.

Found two huge mines/caves but with no salamander inside. On the way back I discovered a little hole just couple meters behind the huge one where I quickly spotted salamander on the wall.

How did you find these mines/caves? I remember trying to find Speleomantes in Sardinia in a cave but I didn't find them and I got lost in a cave.

Michal Szkudlarek wrote:

Found two huge mines/caves but with no salamander inside. On the way back I discovered a little hole just couple meters behind the huge one where I quickly spotted salamander on the wall.

How did you find these mines/caves? I remember trying to find Speleomantes in Sardinia in a cave but I didn't find them and I got lost in a cave.

Some caves are in the maps and I also had some coordinates Michal. Vegetation around mines was a bit overgrown, so it was a challenge to find them and to get inside, but possible. Inside you just have to look where are you going and not only focus on finding a Speleomantes. Getting lost also crossed my mind when I saw tunnel is splitting to three and has more floors. But I guess you would be always able to find a way out, it's not a maze As I wrote before, I did not find a single speleomantes in a mine, I guess they are too dusty for them. In a small cave nearby I found plenty of them.

Amazing Hierophis! I absolutely love it!

Beautiful report, thanks for sharing!

Very nice!

Wow, beautiful scenery. That Hierophis is a stunner!