Corfu
This year I decided to take the island Corfu as my traveldestination. Corfu is called green island and seemed as the perfect target for a herping trip in spring. Corfu has 36 species of herps and so lot to do for just a week. The weather in spring is very instable weather but all in all it was good enough for a week full of fun. I arrived with mild 23 degrees and a few clouds, perfect conditions for herping! As I had a lot to do one the first day, the hunt began at the next day. Cause of the dangerous traffic and the short distances to the top spots for herping I rent a bicycle and started the herping. First destination was a little olive grove, with succes! A few Pseudopus, Testudo and a few lizards species! After that I went straight to the edge of a little swamp area, where I found my main target, a young Vipera ammodytes meriodinales. During I changed the lense it poorly escaped and I had to leave without good images.. Poorly enough I didn't managed to find another one.
On the next day I checked the weather forecast and it seemed perfect for the whole week. So I decided to go for a little city herping tour... Corfu city is just perfect!
After the little tour I went back to the hotel and the weather forecast changed in a negative way. The whole week would be rainy and cold, but well a herper has to do, what a herper has to do. The next day should be the best one of the week so I decided to go more south on the island. I checked several sites for Eryx and Zamenis longissimus without succes, but there were enough other critters.
I were able to find several species in the laguna of the island, but poorly I were not able to photograph every single one Mauremys rivulata , Natrix n. persa , Bufo viridis, Bufo bufo. The following day it rained very heavy but none the less I went for herping. I checked the same spot where I found the ammo with very big succes!
I was able to find the most rare species on Corfu the Cat eyed snake Telescopus fallax! But it didn't stopped there but take a look by yourself!
The rain was getting to the worst possible point and the temperatures dropped I tried my best to find more species. It was a hard time, but there were always something nice under a stone which made me happy.
The periods between the herps I photographed the dversity of flowers and the tone of scolopendras. At the last day I was able to find one of my favourite species, Malpolon insignitus fuscus. I found several of those snakes, but they were always to fast for me.
All in all I had a lot of fun despite the whole weather thing. I found 22 of 36 species on the island and I think this is quite good for 6 days of herping by myself.
Reptilien:
Eidechsen:
- Lacerta trillineata
- Algyroides nigropunctatus
- Podarcis tauricus
- Laudakia stellio
- Hemidactylus turcicus
- Pseudopus adopus
- Anguis graeca
Schlangen:
- Natrix natrix persa
- Malpolon insignitus fuscus
- Vipera ammodytes meriodinalis
- Telescopus fallax
- Typhlops vermicularis
- Platyceps najadum
Schildkröten:
- Testudo hermanni
- Emys orbicularis
- Mauremys rivulata
Amphibien:
Froschartige:
- Rana dalmatina
- Pelophylax ridibundus
- Pelophylax epeiroticus
- Bufo viridis
- Bufo b. spinosus
Schwanzlurche:
- Lissotriton vulgaris graecus