Wilderness Diary

One weekend I was greeted with glorious sunshine and the prospect of medieval shenanigans and steam trains. Snacks packed and a bottle of water I made my way down to Sankt Andrä im Lungau. Along the way I met one of my other colleagues Hanna. She walked the last stretch with me and soon we found ourselves at the steam train. While I was busy marvelling at the train Hanna got a phone call, and in a bit of turmoil she shot off. Later I would discover that her best friend had arrived in Tamsweg to surprise her. So while Hanna disappeared, I bundled onto one of the old wooden coaches of the steam....

Amphibians in Mariapfarr As the snow began to melt and the signs of spring started to emerge, so did the herps. On one of my walks I found myself around the lake of the Der Outdoorparc Lungau. It was the breeding season of the common toad, Bufo bufo. Thousands (or so it seemed to excited me) of them had gathered to call and find mates. Heaven for a herpetologist and I spent hours marvelling at them all and seeing their eye shine with my torch. Reptiles in Tamsweg After finding toads I wanted to find reptiles. With spring well underway and the sun burning brightly in the sky, I set forth to....

As a passionate and amateur herpetologist I was very keen to start exploring of Austria to see the various snakes, lizards and amphibians the country has to offer. But with the largest dump of snow the Lungau had had in many years… it meant I had a long time to wait and a lot of time to kill. So what to do in the snow laden mountains of the Alps? Learn to ski! So after a quick visit to the local Intersport to rent ski boots (and get them fitted), skis and poles while buying the all important helmet, vital when you’re an enthusiastic idiot, we hit the slopes. But first I had to....