In August while on a trip across peninsular Thailand we had an encounter with a snake that is very rarely seen. That day my friend and local guide Mint had been shown a photograph of a snake from one of the other hiking guides. The photograph showed a juvenile Indo-Malayan mountain pit viper (Ovophis convictus) […]

I finally got round to visiting my favourite place to look for amphibians in Slovakia, a lowland pond which is home to 15 species. By European standards that is a lot of amphibians in one relatively small wetland. I managed to see 9/15 during a nocturnal walk around the edges of the pond. Nights have […]

I have been out a couple more times in the local section of forest the past few days and the number of Fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) continues to increase. So I thought I would share another selection of in situ photos of this spectacle before I head back to the UK next week.

So I have been out a lot over the past few days looking for woodland amphibians which have appeared in vast numbers. Slovakia is a good country for amphibians by European standards, with a list of 21 species if I am not mistaken. Many of these are lowland amphibians, which I hope to visit next […]

Finally a day before April the first rains of 2022 have arrived in Slovakia. It has been unseasonably hot and sunny the past few weeks with temperatures up to 20c in the middle of the day, but down to -5 at night. The country, the people and the wildlife all needed these rains very much […]

Last week I arrived in Slovakia where I will stay for the next 6 weeks or so. I have never been here at this time of year although I was warned that March can still be a very cold month. So far the day temperatures have not exceeded 7-8c and some nights have been very […]

For the first time in five years I am able to enjoy the emergence of adders (Vipera berus) in the north of England. In previous years I have only been able to see this species during the summer months when I would typically return home. After weeks of stormy weather I finally saw the first […]

Over the summer I spent a month in Slovakia before I headed to Egypt in August to start a new job. During my time there I saw a wide variety of wildlife, but the true highlight came right at the end when I met an Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) one evening. Truly the highlight of […]

The monsoon season is now in fully swing with daily heavy rains and some strong winds. During a short break from this weather I visited a small cascade just after nightfall, mainly in the hope of seeing some interesting amphibians. Numerous Horned frogs (Megophrys sp) were calling from the edges of the water but I […]

A last minute highlight from the forests of Bala last night. Moments after having said “I can’t believe we haven’t seen a snake tonight” I turn a corner to see this gigantic Reticulated python slowly making its way across the road. Without doubt the largest snake I have ever seen. We estimate that it was […]