Herpetology excursion to southern Europe

I am planning an excursion to southern Europe in July or Septmeber next year, and I was wondering wether anyone here could give me good pointers?

In Portugal I am planning to visit Penega-Geres national park and Montesinho and Douro natural parks. However, these are large areas and I can quite impossibly cover all of it by foot or bicycle. Renting a car is most likely out of the question. So could anyone tell me which parts of these areas would be richest in caudate fauna?

I have studied the areas with google maps and in Penega-Geres the Pitoes das Junias -region would appear good. Also the Portelinha -region seems good. The maps of north-eastern Portugal were more difficult to interpret, but the areas north of Braganca would appear least culturally inflicted. Any comments on these?

In Spain I plan to visit at least Somiedo valley and the Picos de Europa national park. Any experience/info about these objects?

I gladly accept all kinds of advice about Spain and Portugal an why not other European countries as well. I have even considered travelling to Balkan and Greece, perhaps on the very same trip.

Markus, please read the Locality Information Policy - you are in contravention of the rules.

Yes, so it appears. I'm sorry, I gave in to my excitement and completely missed the Locality information policy.

Rephrased, where in southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Balkan) would it be wise to look for caudates in July? Other than the places I already mentioned in my first message.

jokes

haha, isn't that just the same question shrowded in a cunning disguise?

This thread is so saturated with suspicion I think no one wants to answer it...

Okay maybe it would be better for the salamanders that I got this information some other way. I understand it is difficult to answer my questions without being vague enough but not so vague that the information is useless.

I’ve been to a number of the countries you mention but only to sit in the sun and relax so I can’t be of much help. In my limited experience July is not the best time of year to go looking for caudata in southern Europe. Adults have normally left the breeding grounds and will be holed up undercover from the heat. Larvae will be well grown.

I’m sure you understand the need for vagueness. It’s not so much that there is suspicion about this thread but more that no-one wants to be responsible for publicly naming a location and putting it under threat (not from yourself but other prying eyes). A good quality field guide will normally give you enough information to make educated guesses about where to visit.

A number of times I have trekked through wooded valleys, meadows and mountains hunting high and low for signs of newts without success only to return to the car, tired and disappointed where I spot a village pond or trough that is spectacularly teeming with amphibian life. Let that be my tip to you .

I understand. And I just recieved the field guide I had ordered

I know the timing is not optimal, but I can't go in the spring so it has to be either July or September... also I have read that in NW Spain and north Portugal the climate is more humid all year (if that is the correct term, "wet", I mean).

http://www.hylawerkgroep.be/jeroen/index.php?id=1
I hope you know that site if not, be shame on you.
There's a plenty of information how to find, search and so on. There're also trips which are detail descibed.
I personally recommend night searchings for Bufos, trust me you won't be disappointed.
Greetings from normal (finally) Poland - no more stupid and withdrawn politics , Emil

Wrong time...you won´t find caudates(if you´re lucky, maybe some male who doesn´t know when to stop courting). You´ll only find frogs, and depending on where exactly you´re going...maybe not even that. Even if the north is more humid and green, summer in spain is hot....hot enough to make all caudates aestivate or at least hide very well.

Odesseiron said:

http://www.hylawerkgroep.be/jeroen/index.php?id=1
I hope you know that site if not, be shame on you.

Click to expand...

Yes I know it, I have studied it extensively There's another one by four swedes, http://www.club100.net/ , maybe you know of it? I think I found this forum through one of those pages.

Anyway, I'm glad to get some solid advice from an actual Spanish person, and after careful consideration I think it must be September.

Well, you're right, I know www.club100.net site.
I appeared in here, because my friend had recommended me "the best caudata site"
So good luck in Spain!

Markus,

Exactly what kind of field quide you ordered? I might be able to help you on your problem even though I have already said to you the very same story earlier as some others too about the timing of your field trip. However, as I told you elsewhere it is not of course any sort of excuse or reason to left field tripping undone, because of the unfavourable timing, when you are still going to visit in that area anyway. And it is possible to find some amphibian species, even newts and salamanders, but it takes a hell of the more work, time and patient efforts from you.

I can understand this lack of willingness to help and great suspicion here and it is totally understandable, but because I know you, I would be willing to help on your case. I have also some field quides if you want to check them through and I have also visited myself in some places in Southern Europe. I also know some local people (from the local universities and others) in those countries who knows some more people and would be perhaps willing to help in this case, depending on their potentially available time for you of course. Just let me know if you still have some problems to decide where to go and how to explore. You cartainly know how to get my other contact informations if you need them. I wish you a really nice, memorable and productive field trip holiday in Southern Europe, despite of the almost worst possible timing...

Edit: I'm about to come Your area in next spring because of departure for amphibian-project outside of mainland from there and that would be a nice opportunity to have a conversation about the subject. Or if you are coming to the Capital Area, please let me know.

On the disclosure of locality information, if you read the policy here you'll see that we don't forbid you to disclose information, we simply ask that you do it via private message and that you try to verify the nature of the inquirer's interest in order to prevent the fostering of collection for questionable purposes (such as collection for sale or collection contrary to local laws).

Yes John, I understood and I'll defenitely agree with you. That is a good and only acceptable policy in a public place like this. These types of information requests truly are sentitive and delicate issues, especially for the members doing or have done a field work in that spesific area or are otherwise more scientifically orientated when field tripping themselves.

If I understood right, that policy is not, however, deny or forbit of asking that information or assistance in thread of a public forum, but only answering to that kind of question or request in a public way. And in this case, we'll continue this specific discussion with Markus in a private way for now on, of course, but without this request notification stated by Markus I wouldn't even been aware of his needs for assistance. I can also understand that this kind of forum could be really beneficial and useful in order to create some new contacts or to speed up a planning process of potential holiday field trip. Thus only introducing this need for assistance in a public way here and waiting for some potential private replies is more time saving and effective than just randomly try to bother every Spanish member (for example in this case) in this forum via private messages to all of them. So... asking for help in a public way is acceptable but answering in a public way for that kind of request notification is no no no, right? Do I get this right or is it total no no no for all of these in here?