Herpetological trip to northwestern Spain & the Pyrenees
July 10th – 23rd & July 27th – August 8th 2021
Unless specified otherwise, all pictures (c) of Jeroen Speybroeck.
Many years of summer trips hiking in the Alps with my parents seeded a profound love for mountains. The only thing missing from the Alps is some endemic and (to regular mortals) nondescript small brown lizards. As a nice workout for body and soul, I set out on a solo trip to do a series of day hikes to a number of sites for rock lizards
Iberolacerta in the Pyrenees. Browsing for these (usually not too hard to find) lizards at the end of the ascent to a beautiful lake or mountain peak offers the herper a humble yet much appreciated reward for the climbing effort. As such, easily accessible sites next to car parks are frowned upon within the boundaries of this self-invented mission - finding montane creatures means doing the legwork.
Rain and lizards not being all that compatible, bad weather gives an excuse to divert from the set goal. This meant fleeing from the Pyrenees for a number of days and passing time in drier parts of Spain.
After the solo episode, I had some vacation with my children scheduled. I drove from the Pyrenees to Belgium to pick them up, only to drive back to the same montane retreat together for a second chapter. It is hard to describe how heart-warming it is to see them grow into brave mountaineers at such a young age, conquering many more altitudinal meters than a year earlier.
Both parts of the trip were modest herping ventures, but still felt highly rewarding, herp- and otherwise.
search sites – red for the first, solo part, yellow for the second part with the kids
trip's harvest for some Pyrenean endemics
July 10th
Ready to go, but not before getting a last-minute replacement of the rear tyres. Solved quickly enough, so the long drive south could begin. With the So Much Pingle podcast keeping me company, I reached a French lowland site for Pyrenean Stream Frog
Rana pyrenaica well after midnight. As more often than not, no adults showed themselves, but the easily recognisable tadpoles were fairly numerous. The first individuals of another Pyrenean essential, Pyrenean Brook Newt
Calotriton asper welcomed me to the mountains.
a first and particularly rough-skinned Pyrenean Brook Newt Calotriton asper
July 11th
Not really worth to sleep a lot during what was left of the night, so first light had me starting off on my first hike from the Hautacam ski resort towards the Montaigu peak, the northernmost locality for Pyrenean Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta bonnali. A year with not enough exercise and a night without sleep were very tangible, but there’s no stop until the top. Regardless of minor bodily complaints, the mind was having a ball – the scenery, the cool morning air, it was all there. And of course some lizards and a particularly dark-coloured subadult Asp Viper
Vipera aspis that got away (as I had left my gloves in the car…).
rock pile on the lower left held the trip’s first Iberolacerta
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali as found
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
July 12th
Bad weather can hit the Pyrenees at any time of year, hindering high-altitude lizard quests. With multiple days of rain and particularly low temperatures forecast, I decided to initiate Plan B – a combination of rock lizard targets deeper into Spain and limited viper hunting. At the top of the Plan B target list: an adult Peña de Francia Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta martinezricai. I had only been to the area once in 2005. Back then, at the end of September, conditions were still very hot and very, very dry, which had us finding only a few juveniles. While most people told me May or June was the time to go look for them, I was hoping for the best, as others informed me that the right place should still be productive in summer. I was hoping that the all-over bad weather, making reptile searches virtually impossible all across the Pyrenees, but only cooling things down a bit in the Sistema Central mountains, might act in my favour. And it did.
Sleeping in the car right below the rock lizard slope, I woke up to cold and windy weather, so I decided to risk returning when it had gotten too hot already, and drove off for another lizard-themed breakfast first. The Sierra de Gata still holds some of the few isolated inland populations of Carbonell’s Wall Lizard
Podarcis carbonelli. I had only seen this range-restricted species in Doñana sand dune habitat before, so I was keen on getting to know its other persona. Good intel had me finding the species fairly easily, although the habitat was in its fairly dry summer appearance. Ocellated Lizard
Timon lepidus, Large Psammodromus
Psammodromus algirus and Guadarrama Rock Lizard
Podarcis guadarramae were also out, albeit in low numbers.
Carbonell’s Wall Lizard Podarcis carbonelli
Carbonell’s Wall Lizard Podarcis carbonelli
juvenile Carbonell’s Wall Lizard Podarcis carbonelli
Large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirus
I definitely wanted to stick around longer in this peculiar lizard spot, but clouds were breaking up and my main target for the day was waiting. Not really knowing what to expect, I immediately got lucky, with two adults and two juveniles practically next to where I parked the car. I hiked (or rather, clambered) on to the top across the boulder field slopes, ending up with a total of 10-15 individuals of this rare species. Although most were juveniles, I felt more than happy with the result. During my descent, I stumbled on a very precious bonus – a Lataste’s Viper
Vipera latastei. Again no gloves (part of the no-stress lizard herping protocol), but at least I managed some lo-fi cell phone pics this time. Generally less strikingly coloured than its southeast-European counterpart (Nose-horned Viper
Vipera ammodytes), but I had seen this more secretive species far less often, so I was very happy with the day’s findings. Well worth the long drive!
Peña de Francia Rock Lizard Iberolacerta martinezricai
Peña de Francia Rock Lizard Iberolacerta martinezricai
Lataste’s Viper Vipera latastei
Lataste’s Viper Vipera latastei
July 13th
With
martinezricai done, I decided I would try to find a site that still had some colourful
Iberolacerta males. Their breeding attire tends to fade after spring, but I was hoping that some places higher up might still deliver. I had only seen adult Galan’s Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta galani once, so I choose to start with heading towards a mountain pass that held them. I always love seeing species in new spots, to broaden my perspective on their habits and habitat.
Having stumbled upon two viper species in two days, I slightly started to stray from the no-stress lizard protocol, raising my hopes for a Seoane’s Viper
Vipera seoanei. While I had cursed it in summer before (see 2019 summer trip report), this variable little viper is one of my favourite European snakes. The first random spot held a bunch of Ocellated Lizards, but no ‘swanny’.
random spot along the road - rich in lizards, but no snakes found
At the pass, the Bocage’s Wall Lizards
Podarcis bocagei were better looking than the Galan’s Rock Lizards, which was very fine by me, as the former is also a looker and hardly an everyday species to me.
interesting high-up breeding habitat for Natterjack Toad Epidalea calamita and Common Midwife Toad Alytes obstetricans
Bocage’s Wall Lizard Podarcis bocagei having breakfast
Bocage’s Wall Lizard Podarcis bocagei
Galan’s Rock Lizard Iberolacerta galani
I moved on to do some subspecies level
Iberolacerta twitching, as I had never seen the Iberian Rock Lizard subspecies
Iberolacerta monticola astur. Perhaps arriving a bit late in the day, I didn’t end up with any decent photos, but the site was truly enchanting. This was probably also the first site where I saw a Schreiber’s Green Lizard
Lacerta schreiberi hurrying away.
when the habitat beats the target species - Iberian Rock Lizard Iberolacerta monticola astur
I decided to slowly make my way back east, to pick up with the Pyrenean hikes in a couple of days. Wanting to be on site for a swanny search the next morning, I decided to pass through the Tendi valley after dark. I had been fortunate to visit this area a couple of times during the previous years, but I could just not not do at least a short stop. Not the most humid conditions, but the Fire Salamanders
Salamandra salamandra and Golden-striped Salamanders
Chioglossa lusitanica were out.
Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra
Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra
Fire Salamander Salamandra salamandra
Golden-striped Salamander Chioglossa lusitanica as found
July 14th
Chilly early morning. Just what I needed to find some swannies and make my day.
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei in situ
male and female Vipera seoanei
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei
The closeby mountain scenery was again a joy. Iberian Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta monticola cantabrica added to it, including a yellow/green male that was already very shy early in the afternoon.
Iberian Rock Lizard Iberolacerta monticola cantabrica - juvenile
Iberian Rock Lizard Iberolacerta monticola cantabrica - male
July 15th
I tried another viper spot along the southern slopes of the Picos de Europa, but conditions were rather different, with the sun quickly hitting hard.
Chatting with Luis Albero, he had given me good hope to find southern lowland swannies, traditionally attributed to the subspecies
Vipera seoanei cantabrica, despite the season. So, I put my Pyrenean plans on hold and headed west again, towards León. We met up in the late afternoon. Not an easy feat, but Luis managed to find a female viper in the end at dusk. Impossible to do her justice with my modest camera gear, but after previous failures, I was very happy to get to see this silver beauty.
Luis in dry viper habitat
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei ‘cantabrica’
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei ‘cantabrica’
baby Marbled Newt Triturus marmoratus near a nearby water source
July 16th
Being again this far west, I decided to revisit a spot that I had decided to skip at first just a few days earlier. But I still wasn’t satisfied with the colour in my rock lizards, so it was great to be back at Laguna de los Peces in the early morning. And I got what I hoped for!
Schreiber’s Green Lizard Lacerta schreiberi basking near the lake
Schreiber’s Green Lizard Lacerta schreiberi - remarkably uniformly coloured
lots of basking Viperine Snakes Natrix maura in the dam wall
Galan’s Rock Lizard Iberolacerta galani - female
Galan’s Rock Lizard Iberolacerta galani - male
Galan’s Rock Lizard Iberolacerta galani - male
Galan’s Rock Lizard Iberolacerta galani - male
Galan’s Rock Lizard Iberolacerta galani - male
Luis and I also seemed to share a passion for dragonflies, so with his info & after the lizard love, I spent a couple of hours admiring two species I hadn’t seen before -
Gomphus graslinii and (above all else) the stunning but unphotographable
Macromia splendens. If you don’t know the latter species, I strongly encourage googling it.
habitat of Gomphus graslinii, Macromia splendens and a bunch of other dragonfly species
After a wonderful detour back west, I moved east for good, revisiting a great cistern with six amphibian species and a nice heath habitat with (again) no swannies.
July 17th
The next morning, I woke up in the Spanish part of the Basque Country. I made some new Spanish friends, herping with Alberto González, Rafael Vazquez Graña and Mario Toledo Cofrades, and had great fun.
melanistic Iberian Grass Snake Natrix astreptophora
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei
Seoane’s Viper Vipera seoanei
Rosalia alpina
In the afternoon, I finally reached the Pyrenees again and checked out another nice brook with Pyrenean Stream Frog and all the usual amphibian suspects.
one year old Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica and tadpoles of Spiny Toad Bufo spinosus
July 18th
Having strayed from the path of hiking for boring little lizards for far too long, the Pyrenean weather was more cooperative again, as I went up to Lac d’Anglas and found (not too many) Pyrenean Rock Lizard.
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
After getting back down, I still had time to explore three stream frog brooks. One was a bit small for lengthy exploration, but still had some tadpoles. Another was packed with trout, in which I found a single tadpole with damaged tail after two hours of searching, but also a juvenile Iberian Grass Snake. The first of the three was golden, however, with large numbers of tadpoles and several adults and many subadults readily seen.
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica, as found
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica
Iberian Grass Snake Natrix astreptophora - in situ, but tongue-flicking indicating my presence has been noted
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica tadpole – in this area, tadpoles are much more colourful than the black-with-small-stars phenotype found elsewhere
I propose a ban on curved pieces of rope randomly laying around
July 19th
Another day, another
bonnali hike. Vallée de la Pez, offering lizards and an eight piece family of chamois. For early morning hikers only :).
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
Next episode was going to be a Spanish Andorra Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta aurelioi, as I had seen them in France and Andorra, but not yet in Spain. The way to the starting point of the hike to Estany de la Gola seemed not too long of a drive. With a lot of time left, I decided to change things a bit by trying a late afternoon ascent instead of an early morning one. My poor faithful car was severely put to the test until I reached the car park (with only 4x4 cars), but the scenery was again gorgeous. I learned the hard way that there is no such thing as late afternoon basking in these lizards on typical summer days, as the rocks went from boiling to in full shade in an instant when the sun dropped behind the peaks. Still, a gentle or maybe not so smart single lizard was kind enough to hurry across the scorching boulders.
over the pass awaits the lake
shadow and cold winds makes things go from too hot to too cold very quickly
fastest but not smartest Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
July 20th
My silly endeavour of the day before left me longing for a few more Andorra Rock Lizards, as I hiked up to the terra typica at Estany de Sotllo. I had already gotten myself in position the previous night, with another too off-roadish to be good for my car drive to the trailhead. The bad weather that I had fled from a week earlier, was clearly gone, so early starts were the norm. Apart from my preference for hiking uphill in the morning chill, I wanted to be on site before things would get too hot for decent lizard activity. Great hike again, with again a chamois sighting.
bog area with Rana temporaria and Zootoca vivipara
Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
female Parnassius apollo
July 21st
I was heading towards the end of my solo trip time, so I wanted to include some Aran Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta aranica before the end. As usual, I headed out very early, but after 5 km, my car told me what the previous Spanish adventures had done to it. After half a day of arranging for it to be fixed by the next day, I got into a replacement ride and decided to do the scheduled hike anyway, with or without decent lizard spotting. Temperatures were high, but luckily much of the (very steep) ascent was in a shaded forest. Higher up, I picked the best looking rock pile and waited for the few passing clouds to do their work. Afternoon lizards are never easy to photograph on a hot day, but I didn’t care too much, as I intensely enjoyed being among them in a stunning place, especially after the hassle with the car.
game over (but not for too long)
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica
July 22nd
Last hike of my solo trip chapter. I wanted to get at least one 1000m altitudinal difference hike in and I wanted to see some more Aran Rock Lizards, so I hiked towards Etang d’Araing. To reach the lake early enough, I hiked the first hour in the dark. Too bad I left my headtorch in the car, but the light on my phone did the job well enough. While it hadn’t been super easy to find more than a few lizards at most Pyrenean sites I had hiked to during the trip, I was happy to find them before reaching the set-out hike destination (i.c. the lake) this time.
four in a frame
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica snacking on the flies visiting the Sedum album
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica
After the hike, I picked up my car from the repair shop and after a well-earned night in Cahors, I drove on to get home on the 23rd. The next day, the merry reunion with my kids followed. As we pondered on where to go for our trip with the three of us, the conclusion was as predictable as it was wonderful – why not go to … the Pyrenees!? I still had plenty of lizard hikes planned, as bad weather had made my time in the mountains shorter than expected, and I was keen on finding out how another year had improved the hiking potential of the kids. So after a few days of sorting practicalities, we headed south.
July 27th & 28th
Two days of smooth driving and a hotel along the way. By the afternoon of the 28th we just had enough time left to drive up above Gavarnie to the Col de Tentes, where a mix of Common Wall Lizard
Podarcis muralis and Pyrenean Rock Lizard
Iberolacerta bonnali were (too) easy bonusses to the stunning views. In the evening, we checked in to the nice cabin I had booked for eight nights near the Tourmalet.
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
July 29th
Starting not too hard on the kids, our first hike was 400 m up and 7 km to Cirque d'Eres Lits. This is one of the lowest sites for Pyrenean Rock Lizard. Only after several hours of searching and intermittent fun with butterflies, rocks and brooks, I could spot a single individual in a sea of wall lizards. Lovely valley, though, with a cool snow cave for the kids. And as on my first solo hike, again an Asp Viper that got away. This time, spotted first by my son Bas. Best stick to lizards, daddy.
the inventors of mountain chess during a match
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
July 30th
Another short, yet steep hike – Lac de Catchet. Like the day before, we started in the mist and emerged higher up in sun and triumphant with lizards.
two brave aspiring mountaineers emerging from the clouds
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
When we got back to our stay, we still had some time for a short little hike starting from the Tourmalet pass, finding three lizard species.
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
Viviparous Lizard Zootoca vivipara - not viviparous in the Pyrenees
July 31st
Bad weather again for both hiking and lizard hunting, so we left our French stay to spend a few nights on the Spanish side of the mountains, moving from lizard love to frog frenzy, as I still had a bunch of stream frog sites left to explore and the kids are big fans of browsing in and along little streams. On this day, we did just one little stream and spent the rest of the day relaxing by the hotel pool.
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica tadpole
August 1st
First, we hiked to the Ibon de Piedrafita. A little stream not too far away held Catalonian Midwife Toad
Alytes almogavarii and quite some stream frogs, including four adults.
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica tadpole
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica with amphibiocystidium(?) warts as commonly seen in many populations of this species
Catalonian Midwife Toad Alytes almogavarii going into metamorphosis
decided to use the ‘real camera’ after all - Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica
rock flipping at the lake
two midwife toad youngsters and a juvenile Palmate Newt Lissotriton helveticus
Catalonian Midwife Toad Alytes almogavarii
After the hike, a visit to the local European mammal zoo.
finishing off a nice day in the company of my own two wild animals
August 2nd
Another day of little streams and small treasures.
Pyrenean Brook Newt Calotriton asper
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica
Onychogomphus uncatus
small, warm stream, partially dry, with most frogs already far into metamorphosis
Pyrenean Stream Frog Rana pyrenaica
Iberian Grass Snake Natrix astreptophora
ideal practice snake (despite the smell) – Viperine Snake Natrix maura
August 3rd
Rock lizards are notoriously tough to find in the southeastern part of their range, but I wanted to give it a go and at least get to see the scenery. No rock lizard found, but no one was complaining. Next, after three improvised nights in Spain, we moved back to our French accommodation.
lizard hunter at work
junior lizard hunter taking an alpine nap
August 4th
A lazy day playing board games, with still a short hike towards the nearby Lac d’Oncet as soon as rain and clouds gave us the opportunity.
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
August 5th
From Hautacam to Lac de Bassias, very flat and easy at first, steep at the end.
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
Pyrenean Rock Lizard Iberolacerta bonnali
Lac de Bassias with the Montaigu peak (see first day of this report) in the distance
August 6th
Lacking any
aranica site that was both new to me and did not require 800+ altitudinal meters, we gladly redid (see 2017) the hike to Etang d’Eychelle. Rain and dense mist at first, but we got lucky and got some sun-with-lizards again.
larva of Pyrenean Brook Newt Calotriton asper
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica
Aran Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aranica
August 7th
Last hike and best effort in terms of altitude for the kids, with a difference of about 800 m, from Barrage de Soulcem until Etangs de la Gardelle. First part during both ascent and decent in the clouds and some rain along the way, but again lucky with the lizards in the shortest time window.
Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
Andorra Rock Lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi
10 seconds later, visibility was back to 5 or 10 meters
back down
Species list
