Today was spent in the company of one of Bulgaria's best herpetologists and in one of the most herptile-species-rich areas in the country. Alas, the weather wasn't quite playing ball, and much of the day was fairly sun-free and slightly damp... and yet we still came home at the end of the day having seen 16 species, 2 more than can be found in the entire country back home!!
We started 'herptile day' with a bird... a massive adult White-tailed Eagle just by the road! And while watching him, we stumbled across our first 'herp' of the day (and a long-awaited 'tick' for me!), a big adult European Glass Lizard (photo above): a jumbo Slow Worm, kinda like a walking stick with the face of Voldemort!
And from there we didn't look back...
Nose-horned Viper #1, a female
Nose-horned Viper #2, a dark little male. He's about to shed his skin, hence the beautiful if slightly off-putting opaque blue eyes...
Eastern Grass Snake Natrix natrix persa, with two pale stripes running down the back.
Dice Snake
Eastern Slow Worm Anguis (fragilis) colchicus
Balkan Crested Newt Triturus karelinii
Eastern Spadefoot
Spur-thighed Tortoise
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