RAUK's a Herp a day!

hadn't noticed that richard but you're right. not sure how unusual it is though.

Today here in East Devon we've hardly seen the sun and had a few showers. Good weather for finding all these guys under covers keeping warmed up at 5pm.
The single slow worm was atop a covered compost heap. I guess a pregnant female as large bodied.
The toad was furiously trying to back into its 'nest'.
All covers had lots of slow worms, but I just include the one, which I noticed on downloading the image also had a mid-size frog.

Managed to get out for the first time this year to some ACOs we left out on a site in the Peak District last year. Already rather warm in the sun by 9am but lifting a piece of fence post that weighs down an onduline sheet that was in the shade and damp from overnight dew was surprised by a couple of lizards sheltering under the post.




A few slow-worms were under tins in the sun so moved off quickly but this one was a bit slower as there was a fallen tree branch shading the metal so got a quick snap before it tumbled down the slope into cover. I do mean tumbled as the hillside is incredibly steep, we have to use rocks to stop the ACOs sliding away, and it lost its grip on the ground as it suddenly set off quickly.


It is difficult to keep your footing, lift the ACO with one hand and hold a compact camera in the other, let alone press the camera shutter button. So far we have lost 3 ACOs that have slid down the slope into the trees at the bottom.

Suzy
Too right it is also unstable as sections under the thin grass are scree slopes from rock dug out of an old open vein mineral working at the top of the slope. As the mineral workings are old (pre the 1890s at least) they are not backfilled and are up over to 30 metres deep with vertical rock edges.

From tonight. Second attempt!




How's your pond doing Gemma? Plenty of lizards (obviously not in the pond)?


Edited by Suzy - 20 Aug 2015 at 10:47pm