Second part !
The first part is here : Field Report – One week in North-West of Spain – September 2012 – Part 1/2
4th day – in road to extreme west of Castilla y Leon:
During the morning, the sun came, very, very slowly. The conditions was good during about 2 hours, and allowed us to see lot of specimens of V. seoanei, but also Bufo bufo spinosus, Rana temporaria parvipalmata, Podarcis muralis brongniardii, Zootoca vivipara louislantzi and Anguis fragilis.
We finished the day on a Iberolacerta galani spot, but it was too late to see lot of adults.

Great spot for Vipera seoanei

Vipera seoanei taking sun

Vipera seoanei

Close-up

Zootoca vivipara louislantzi

The equilibrist

… on camera

Hiking for muralis

Snake?? Where ?…

Vipera seoanei habitat

Vipera seoanei

An other one

And an other one

A large concolor, taking sun

La Vuelta?

Femelle of Iberolacerta galani

We change our plan?

Night is falling

Picnic by night

Light painting herpéto
5th day – At the border of Portugal:
Down the galani spot, we spent few hours taking pictures of Podarcis bocagei. We also missed a small Vipera latastei taking the sun in a wall… No luck!
The landscape have changed in the south, and we found some more mediterranean species : Pelophylax perezi, Timon lepidus, Natrix maura, Malpolon monspessulanus (unfortunatly dead on road). By the merest chance, we met a very nice Belgians who give us a wolf spot. We tried to see the so excepted animal during the evening, but it never appeared. However, we found a species that we don’t excepted more… A beautiful Vipera lastastei!!
Before sleeping, we saw Hyla molleri, Pelophylax perezi and Natrix maura in a pond.

Very cold night…

Ready?

Go!

Podarcis bocagei in habitat

A large male

A female

Jumping bocagei!

Young Lacerta schreiberi

Like every morning…

Strange… bird?

It’s time to eat

It’s time to eat

A beautiful male of Podarcis bocagei

Natrix maura in the water

Lutra lutra was here…

Bird ?

Ficedula hypoleuca

Natrix maura

Do you see something?

Vipera latastei

Close-up

Happy to find V. latastei!

Shooting

Shooting

Shooting

Shooting

Dorsal marks

Close-up

Habitat of this Vipera latastei

Waiting the wolf…

Hyla molleri

This strange bug have very big eyes
6th day – Go back Asturias!
This saturday, we decided to change our plan to see the brown bear.
Before starting, we stopped near a dam where we found Pelophylax perezi, Podarcis hispanica (type 1A), Chalcides striatus, Timon lepidus, Natrix maura, Malpolon monspessulanus (skin only).
Arrived on the bear’s spot, we waited on the good place, taking pictures of numerous Iberolacerta monticola cantabrica and Lacerta schreiberi.
And… finally… we saw the Brown bear! Great animal, great moment.
Very late, we started come back France, and found one the road a DOR Natrix natrix astreptophora, and a beautiful Coronella austriaca acutirostris.

Morning since the bed

Gato!

A young Podarcis bocagei

How Chaldides can lose his tails?

Just one Skink, and guys become… crazy!

Chalcides striatus

Approaching deer…

Very distrustful

Podarcis hispanica type A

Natrix maura… concolor ?

Young Timon lepidus

Phylloscopus collybita

Sylvia undata

Go back Asturias

Waiting bear…

Lacerta schreiberi

Close-up of a big female

…And waiting bear

Go back to the bear spot

« She » is here!!!

Coronella austriaca acutirostris

Close-up

Shooting of C. a. acutirostris

Since el Mirador del Fito, by night
7th day – A last morning before going back to France!
Finally, this last morning was too short to finish filling our memory cards. We saw in this last spot Zootoca vivipara louislantzi, Podarcis muralis brongniardii, Iberolacerta monticola cantabrica and Vipera seoanei seoanei.

The last day…

Sun is coming

Beautiful sky

Vipera seoanei seoanei

An other great morph

A young Iberolacerta monticola cantabrica

A female…

… very shy

Horses

Looking for Iberolacerta monticola

Got one

Big male of Iberolacerta in habitat

Closer

The male…

And the female

A last sleep before go back

An other male

A last green male

The bear’s team
Conclusion:
NW Spain is one of the best places for european herpetofauna. Not always good weather, only one week, but what a great trip !
Amphibiens (10)
Salamandra salamandra bernardezi
Salamandra salamandra alfredschmidti
Lissotriton helveticus alonsoi
Ichthyosaura alpestris cyreni
Triturus marmoratus
Chioglossa lusitanica longipes
Alytes obstetricans obstetricans
Bufo bufo spinosus
Rana temporaria parvipalmata
Pelophylax perezi
Hyla molleri
Reptiles (18)
Anguis fragilis
Podarcis muralis brongniardii
Podarcis bocagei
Podarcis liolepis liolepis
Podarcis hispanica type 1A
Iberolacerta monticola cantabrica
Iberolacerta galani
Zootoca vivipara louislantzi
Lacerta schreiberi
Timon lepidus lepidus
Malpolon monspessulanus (skin & DOR)
Natrix maura
Natrix natrix astreptophora
Coronella girondica
Coronella austriaca acutirostris
Vipera aspis zinnikeri (DOR)
Vipera seoanei seoanei (and cantabrica ?)
Vipera latastei latastei
… and Mammals (10)!
Apodemus… sylvaticus ?
Talpa occidentalis
Oryctolagus cuniculus
Mustela herminea
Lutra lutra
Vulpes vulpes
Capreolus capreolus
Cervus elaphus
Sus scrofa
Ursus arctos
6 Commentaires
Nice to see that you found the bear in Fondo de Vegas!
Great pictures!!
Thanks Jan !
Some pictures of my colleagues are still missing but yes, we saw the bear !
A great moment, many thanks again.
And we didn’t see the wolf, but we found near a beautiful Vipera latastei, an high expected one for us !
Matthieu
Fantastique observation, merci beaucoup Jan !! Le reste du voyage s’est bien déroulé. Et de votre coté, de belles observations ?
Tout ça donne bien envie de se mettre à l’herpeto ! Bravo pour les clichés, certains sont magiques !
Very nice website and excellent pictures. Small remark, the « big male » L. Schreiberi is definitely a female.
All the best,
Ron
Thanks for compliments, and, of course, thanks for the mistake!