8th February 2011
I saw a few lizards on Sunday up at Castellar, but only as they scuttled for cover as we passed close by them. Since then I’ve kept a lookout around the garden, particularly in the warm sunny spots against the walls. I spotted my first one as I was looking out of the upstairs bedroom window, a small elongated dark shape, travelling fast horizontally along the light coloured wall. I saw it stop in a sunny spot where wall meets pillar and ran downstairs to grab the camera, hoping it was there for a good warm-through; luckily it was and stayed still to have its picture taken.
Common Wall Lizard - Podarcis muralis
The next day I happened upon another one, much paler in colour, as it was emerging cautiously from the cover of the upturned flower pot that is my ‘bird-bath’ base.
9/2/11-A paler coloured lizard emerged cautiously from under a flower pot
Tree Frog update
Tree frog pressed tightly into a corner
Yesterday I heard the Tree frogs croaking loudly and went out to investigate. There were two of them out sunbathing, one squeezed into a corner of the pool and the other, the one I believe was making the noise, was in the filter recess- a good spot as his voice would be well amplified in there and he has another escape option as he can dive into the filter pipe.
The two frogs were quite different in colour, one a dark olive green/brown and the other a clearer dark green. I can’t decide if this is the original one I saw last week after a few days out in the sun, or a ‘new’ one.
The other frog located in the filter recess with his back to the pool
The males are definitely becoming more vocal; I hear them at random times during the day and most evenings, starting around sunset, which is about 7pm. There are often two or more croaking at, or to one another, and sounds as though one or more may be approaching the pool from outside it.
nightingale trails 