Today I went to Samokov to repair my bicycle that I haven't used for about two years. The bike looked terrible, all dusty and warped in spider webs, but after the man I took it to finished repairing it, it actually started looking like a suitable vehicle. So, while waiting for the bus, I decided to go on a little herping trip at the Iskar river. Loads of Wall lizards, as always, but I also managed to catch a young male Grass snake, the first snake I've caught in my home region this year.  After I was done herping, I thought it would be very nice to just ride my bike around the city, listening to music on my headphones (I bring them literally everywhere). I felt so good and free, I didn't feel like taking the bus to my village, but ride my bike through the fields instead. It was a long trip, maybe 30-40 minutes or so, I can't remember, I lost track of time.  While I was pedaling my way to the village, I got the opportunity to do a little on-road birdwatching. C...

 Spring has officially begun, and so has the mating season for most animals, which means the time for herping has come. So today, I'll show you guys everything I've seen so far in the month of March. Agile frog (Rana dalmatina). Saw this one in my backyard while eating breakfast. Isn't it a beauty? As I said, mating season has started for many species. Butterflies are no exeption.  I spent the first weekend of March in Gotse Delchev, southern Bulgaria, staying at my cousin's house. Not much went on then, except that the weather was a lot warmer there, meaning that the reptiles had already awakened from their winter hibernation. Loads of Wall lizards where darting around on the walls on both sides of the nearby river. In one of the cracks of that wall I found a dead Great Tit, which at first I assumed suffocated in the wall, but then it all became clear - a young adult male Caspian Whipsnake had captured and killed it. As soon as I moved the bird asi...

 Hi, guys! Long time no see. :)  Today me and my family went to get new haircuts and I decided to check on the critters in the Iskar river nearby. I didn't see any snakes, but there were Wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) already zooming about, so you'll maybe start seeing more of me pretty soon!  P.S: Sorry, no pictures this time, I didn't have the opportunity to take some shots. :P

This July I went to visit my friend Dylan Alfrey from the Balkan Ecology Project in Shipka. He's a herper like me, so the main goal of the visit was to go snake hunting together. His uncle Peter Alfrey, who is a birder, was with us on every trip. I was there for a week or so and for this much time we caught amazing stuff. I really wanted to see an Aesculapian Snake (Elaphe longissima), which I didn't have a chance to do, but I'm okay with that. Anyways, here are the photos. Me and Dylan looking for skinks. The first snake we caught together. In the evening on the same day I got there me, Dylan and Pete went on a little herping/birding expedition. We where just talking about how Dylan had never seen a Smooth Snake up close, and the minute we got out of the car, under the first rock I lifted, there was a juvenile female Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca). Dylan was very excited, and so was I. Spurge Hawk Moth caterpillar (Hyles euphorbiae). Loads of those on...

Hey, guys! This April we went on a 5 day vacation to Malta. It was very exciting - every day we got to a different interesting destination on the island - and I also got a chance to meet some fascinating animals. Our apartment was right next to the beach and there was a very cool bay with loads of crabs, sea snails, tube worms and even squids (I managed to catch one and the result I got was pitch-black clothes)! But my main goal was to catch one special snake (of 4 species total in Malta) - the Black Whip Snake. Veined Rapa Whelks (Rapana venosa). Found those two in the bay alongside some crabs, shrimp and other cool critters. My brother Fifo's crab buddy I managed to meet this beauty face to face at the terrarium department of the Malta National Aquarium.  European Chameleon (Chamaleo chamaleon). I was chasing an Ocellated Skink when I accidentally pushed this guy off the leaf he was standing on. At first he was green, but quickly changed to gray and the...

 Found this beautiful Grass Snake near my house. It wasn't something incredible, but it sure was gorgeous! Trying to give an "One with nature" feeling to this photo. :P Gotta love those shiny little jewels! And here is another one, though this one is special. It's a mix between two subspecies (cetti x helvetica). It's not super rare, but definitely a cool find!  And then there's me. With the snake on my back. Making weird faces again... :D