By Plato StefanopoulosAfter my time frogging in riparian areas and cultivations in Central Greece, I finally saw my 10th species of snake – the Caspian whip snake (Dolichophis caspius). We failed to catch several individuals, adults and juveniles, I found sheds, and generally came close to photographing a living specimen, to no avail. Miss after miss, the Caspian whip snake slowly became my ultimate herp nemesis (perhaps on par with Podarcis tauricus).
In mid-September, I aced my driving exam and finally got my license, and after a short frogging trip, I was back in action, this time with a car. I visited several known and new sites in Attica, as well as South Boeotia, but due to the extreme drought, herps, and especially snakes were few and far in between, and the few animals I did find were either in exceptional areas that somehow retained some humidity or no more than 10 meters away from perennial streams.
 |
| Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis) hatchling, the only notable snake I managed to photograph on my trips in Attica in late September |
With October finally arriving, and the weather seemingly improving, me and a friend decided we should go on a 2-day rocket run to Boeotia, which was at the very least long-awaited. Boeotia is in my opinion a very underrated destination for herpers and naturalists, not only due to its proximity to Athens, but also due to its variety of habitats, numerous and somewhat more frequent water bodies, and seemingly stronger populations and several more species of herps than Attica. The trip would not be 100% herp-focused, with fish taking up some time, but there was a lot of potential for me to finally get my hands on the fabled D. caspius, as well as see some notable fish diversity. I hastily booked a hotel room for a one night stay and took full advantage of the freedom pass, and ended up paying under 50 euros, all expenses combined. The next morning, I picked up my friend Alex from the train station and we were on our way.
 |
| Crossing the border to Boeotia, typically, the sign has been shot numerous times. |
Day 1Our first stop was in Southern Boeotia, which was depressingly dry, the weather was horrible, and as a result we only saw some juniper skinks (Ablepharus kitaibelii) on the crawl next to water, as well as a shed of the Nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes), a typical inhabitant of these thermo-xeric submontane habitats.
 |
| Nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) shed |
 |
| Typical south Boeotian landscape. Freshwater in Boeotia is highly exploited for agricultural purposes, but these fields provide great habitat for some herp species. |
We made the long trip to Northern Boeotia, and made a couple stops and made double passes on one or two roads, since the temperature in low altitudes was conducive to snake activity. We missed a huge, almost 1.5 meter long female caspius by just a few minutes on a road we were passing. Ironically, this road-killed individual was my first ever decent look at the species. It was unfortunate, but at least I have a good spot near home now. We saw a few more common species on our stops, like the ever-present Balkan green lizard (L. trilineata) and the Balkan frog (P. kurtmuelleri).
We finally arrived at our hotel, checked in, and went to a large body of freshwater to look for fishes. I found some decent spots that I marked for next morning on the way. When it comes to herps, we observed Balkan terrapins (Mauremys rivulata) as well as several dice snakes (Natrix tessellata), one of which I saw emerging from the water to bask from very far away, and actually managed to get in hand.
 |
| Young dice snake (N. tessellata) |
After this stop, we decided we should road-cruise the evening and early night hours in hopes of a very nice Natrix or whatever else, so that’s exactly what we did. We stuck to humid riparian areas, passed a certain road two and a half times and we managed to cruise over 35 Balkan frogs, about a dozen tree frogs (Hyla arborea), 3 agile frogs (Rana dalmatina) and finally, a lone juvenile dice snake that had just been hit and was about to die. After photographing the frogs, we saw an impressive eagle owl (Bubo bubo) sitting on the road on our way back, as well as some mammals which I couldn’t photograph, including but not limited to the lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens), the common field mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). We arrived at the hotel, found and photographed a green toad (Bufotes viridis) in the garden, showered, went out to eat some much-needed souvlaki, and we went to sleep.
 |
| Habitat; endless cultivations |
 |
| Agile frog (R. dalmatina) |
 |
| Tree frog (H. arborea) |
 |
| Eagle owl (Bubo bubo). Truly an awe-inspiring creature! |
 |
| Green toad (B. viridis) |
Day 2
We had a very early start (7:30 AM) and I was absolutely delighted when I was met with 10 degrees Celsius and heavy dew! We visited two sites near our hotel with moderate hopes as even though the conditions were in our favor, flipping can be very hit or miss, especially in fall. Herps were few and far in between once again, no caspius was found, but we did find 3 species. A YOY Eastern Montpellier snake (Malpolon insignitus) was found under a large rock, a house gecko was found under a mattress, and a juvenile marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata) was found under a giant tarp with a pallet. Most of the day was too warm for any targeted herping, so after lunch, I stuck to fish photography until the evening hours, where we stopped at a few sites on our way back.
 |
| Malpolon insignitus that are only a few months old are very easily distinguishable from older juveniles. Also, note the characteristic periscoping position. |
 |
| Malpolon insignitus |
 |
| Marginated tortoise (T. marginata) |
Not many herps were found (unsurprisingly), and to make matters worse, I found a fresh DOR Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis). On our way back, at around 8:30 PM, I saw a large snake (presumably N. tessellata, perhaps close to 100 cm) on the side of the road. It was 16 degrees out so I wasn’t expecting snakes, and consequently I was not going slow. I slammed on the brakes while driving at around 70 kmh, pulled over to the side of the road, got out of the car, sprinted to the area where I found the snake, but unfortunately, it had taken off way before I could get to it.
Even considering its many low points, I think this trip was very useful and has opened many doors for my future herpsplorations, and I can’t wait to pay North Boeotia another visit!
 |
| The way back… this trip may be over, but there will be more! |
Species seen:
Nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) (shed skin)
Caspian whip snake (Dolichophis caspius) (DOR)
Eastern montpellier snake (Malpolon insignitus)
Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)
Grass snake (Natrix natrix)
Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis)
Snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii)
Balkan frog (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri)
Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata)
Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata)
Agile frog (Rana dalmatina)
European tree-frog (Hyla arborea)
Green toad (Bufotes viridis)
Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)
Marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata)
Ocellated skink (Chalcides ocellatus)
Common slider (Trachemys scripta) (only in Attica)
European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) (only in Attica)
*Balkan wall lizard (Podarcis tauricus)?????? (barely saw it on the side of the road before it escaped, did not get a good look at it, but the habitat and overall shape matched)
