Great pictures. I especially like the bufo viridis 

Ilias,I'm going to say it again: Your photos are remarkable!Looks like spring has officialy came in Greece!Quite high reptile activity for this month!What are the temperatures there?Cheers! 

The killed situla is interesting (looks like a young specimen)indicating they are active at fairly low temperatures. Once went to Milos in November with temperatures of about 12 centigrade and the only snake species I found active was situla, no Macrovipera or Telescopus active on Milos in such cool weather conditions. 

As always cracking pictures Ilias!
What camera and lens have you used.
Do you use Photoshop to sharpen your images?


Thanks,
Tony
 

Thanks to all for your nice comments!

@Ilian
Sometimes last week the max temp was at 17-18°C at midday but usually lower.

@David
Yes, situla seems to like lower temperatures that other snakes.

@Tony
I use canon EOS 450D with canon 100mm macro. I choose only those ones which are well focused and I only use the sharp tool on very low opacity to sharp the eyes a little bit because when you resize the image to a lot smaller it goes blurry... The original images are that sharp and don't need photoshop sharpness ;-) 

Hi Ilian,
Nice camera the 450D, I was using my wife’s works 450D camera last year and was really impressed with it, I bought the 500D for Christmas with the HD video bit but its going to be next Christmas before I can get a good macro lens ;-)


Thanks,
Tony
 

Ilia geia,

Very nice photos, especially the dalmatina.

Tassos 

Thanks Tasso! ;-) 

Nice pics!
Here it was just a couple of Podarcis muralis last Sunday with air temperatures of up to 10°C (see http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/818529/display/20272549 and following).
If the snow melts as rapidly as it does just now I hope for the first dozen or so of Vipera a. aspis during next weekend! ;-) 

great specimen Stefan! 

> great specimen Stefan!
Indeed, already with nice breeding colours...
 

Great pictures Illias, the colours of the B. viridis are awesome. Did the Z. situla had a prey in his belly? It looks like a mouse or something has come out of his stomach. 

Hello Bobby!
yes the snake had recently eaten a mouse.. I was surprised by the size of that mouse comparing the snake's size. 

Some more from today's midday walk

bad photo, taken just for the record (seems strange to me but I've never seen Ablepharus at that place the last 4 years I visit it, and this year I've already seen 5, today I saw 2 basking in the middle of the road...)

some toads:

this one saved from a well

and a B.viridis with great colors

Also B.variegata (2), T.hermanni (1) and Lacerta viridis (3)were seen (really bad or no pics...)

P.S. last weekend I searched near Volvi by night and found Hyla arborea singing their song, B.viridis walking around and a juvenile E.orbicularis sleeping in the water. Everything is out in Greece, spring is here :-) 

Pfff... Here, the nights are near or below 0°C again, so a second interruption in my activities. Last week, some toads and newts were about, but certainly no top activity yet.

Indeed, a good-looking toad, Ilias! 

I'm getting pretty jealous Illias! Here the weather conditions are quite similar to those mentioned by Jeroen, altough the sun is shining it is still very cold and the weatherforecast for this weekend is snowy and temperatures below 0 degrees. Besides small numbers of newts, common frogs and a few common toads still nothing yet. 

Some observation from yesterday and this midday, a couple of hours on my favorite hill:

Platyceps najadum (>1m)

Zamenis situla (>70cm)

look at that cross sign on the head, it should be a holy snake too :-D

Also seen:

V.ammodytes
D.caspius
B.bufo
E.orbicularis (1st record for that area)
M.rivulata
L.trilineata
L.viridis
T.hermanni
L.stellio
N.natrix
P.kurtmuelleri


 

Great, I'm so jealous !