fieldherping.eu

During this week I spent 3 days (wednesday 16th to friday 18th May) in Provence mainly to search of Vipera ursinii.

Wednesday I arrived on the traditional location in Vaucluse before midday and started immediately to investigate the area. In the field I met Jean-Pierre Baron that was present since the day before. We put our forces together to try to find the first V. ursinii of the May 2012 research session.

Early in the afternoon, I discovered the first viper but a dead one... This female was marked on the 21th May 2011 and was already in poor conditions. JPB was not very surprised although it was the first V. ursinii to be found dead in the field since the research started in 1979 (if we except some animals killed by human, road or intentional killing). We continued to search since 6 pm without success.

Thursday, we were joined by a third researcher. The weather was nice, sunny with poor wind and sweet temperature. We continued to search all the day and in the middle of the afternoon JP found a little male that was marked for the first time as newborn on the 2nd September 2007.

According to JP Baron it's probably the first time in May that there is so few animals (1 in 3 days) and it's probably because the reproduction took place early in the month...

Because of bad meteo forecast for friday I didn't return to the place and try to find some interesting herps in Bouches-du-Rhône but without success...

Finally it's was a very instructive little trip with my first Vipera ursinii and the meeting of Jean-Pierre Baron that is very interesting and nice person.





More pics on http://www.pbase.com/stephaubry/vipera_ursinii_170512

Nice finding.
We had the same problem in the middle of May last year.
2 by Jean Pierre and his student girl and one by us within 4 days.
And yours is a different one, we have seen during the last years (compared pics)

Mario

Mario Schweiger wrote:2 by Jean Pierre and his student girl and one by us within 4 days.

We found 3 in 30 minutes in July. After a night of heavy rain, though, and searching at first light.

Yes, they are out again from middle of July or so, when food (grasshoppers) are available.
Most hide after mating until this time.
So best visit time is in spring (April/beginning of may) or from Summer to autumn

Mario

Mario Schweiger wrote:Yes, they are out again from middle of July or so, when food (grasshoppers) are available.
Most hide after mating until this time.
So best visit time is in spring (April/beginning of may) or from Summer to autumn

Thanks for that. Would that apply more or less to other mountain ursinii too?

very interesting stuff, could explain a lot
I really would like to see a graph with animals per day over time of the year -not only from ursinii

Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:Would that apply more or less to other mountain ursinii too?

A way to rephrase might be - do other habitats also display these gap in suitable temperature vs. grasshopper development? I guess so?

I dont know!
I just can tell the observations by Jean Pierre, who is observing the Serein ursinii for many years now.
But I guess, it should be (nearly) the same with other mountain populations.

Mario

Mario Schweiger wrote:Yes, they are out again from middle of July or so, when food (grasshoppers) are available.
Most hide after mating until this time.
So best visit time is in spring (April/beginning of may) or from Summer to autumn

Mario

woowww thanks for this help Mario. I go back in Vaucluse to visit some friends middle of july.
Baron said too that ursinii have a lot of underground life and they go from JUniperus to another one by roddents holes.

Bravo Stéphane, jolies observations... I must absolutly go to the Crau and in camargue to see Emys.

Pierre-Yves Vaucher wrote:

Mario Schweiger wrote:
Bravo Stéphane, jolies observations...

Thanks Pierre-Yves

This species (as the other Vipera) is fascinating and I hope to go back again this year in Vaucluse...