Serra da Freita was one of the places I had never visited. At the invitation of Davina Falcão, who manages Cobras de Portugal, we went there to look for some species of reptiles. She knows the area well which made this visit easier. Although the fog brought the return home early, it was still possible to find several species and have the desire to return.

DETAILS

Starting Point: Serra da Freita

Distance to Cover: 5 to 10 km

Time of year: Spring

Best time of day: Morning and Afternoon

Recommended Material: Camera + macro lens

Extras: All-terrain vehicle may be required (on rainy days)

HOW TO GET

There are many places to explore in the Serra da Freita, a more open area and another more forested. In the case of looking for reptiles, the area with rocks and more open land ends up being the best. In this area there are enough bushes for them to take shelter, and rocks where they can hide. You can explore the viewpoints to get an idea of the entire region. In addition to the different species of reptiles and amphibians that we can find here, this area is also excellent for looking for insects on warmer days. To make your journey easier, you can enter the following coordinates into your GPS: 40°52'02.5"N 8°15'41.4"W ou 40.867373, -8.261488, or by following the link to google maps.

RECOMMENDED ROUTE

The best place to walk is this place. There are several walking trails that you can follow and explore, there is no perfect location, as you need to walk and look for the animals you want to photograph. The flower fields are full of insects, you may have to deviate a little from the main route to photograph them. You can follow the path that goes along the river to increase your chances of encountering water snakes. However, it is best to start lifting stones and be prepared for any eventuality. Sardinians also occur in this area, I managed to observe one but it was not allowed to be photographed.

MY EXPERIENCE

Most reptiles and amphibians are friendly enough for us to photograph without needing to disturb them. You should be careful with the last species I'm going to talk about, as it has a venom that can cause complications, however, they are not aggressive and only bite as a last resort. The remaining species are completely harmless, water snakes do not even try to bite. So, if you are afraid of snakes, just enjoy them and don't kill them. What I found most complicated is the fact that the terrain is up and down, with relatively large rocks to turn over. What with heat and lots of equipment can become tiring. Whenever you lift a stone you must make sure it is placed in the same position as it was! These places are refuges for many species, and we should not destroy their space. We can look for them but we must respect them by keeping everything as we found it. This way we guarantee that on their next visit they continue to use this space.

GUADARRAMA WALL LIZARD

The Guadarrama wall lizard (Podarcis guadarramae) is one of the most common species in the region, you can see them on the stone walls sunbathing and looking for food. Photographing them requires some patience, because at the slightest strange movement they hide and can take more than five minutes to re-expose themselves. The trick is to approach calmly, with the machine ready to fire, and with calm movements. Let them get used to you before trying to get too close, when they realize that we are not there to harm them, the geckos end up relaxing and basking in the sun even with us photographing them.

IBERIAN FROG

The Iberian frog (Rana iberica) is one of the amphibians that I most enjoy photographing, they are not afraid of our presence and are quite active during the day. This makes it easier to take photographs of a frog that, when it jumps, can perform an illusionist trick and disappear without a trace. They should approach calmly, looking for individuals who are in well-exposed locations for photography and who can approach without having many obstacles in front of them.

VIPERINE WATER SNAKE

The viperine water snake (Natrix maura) likes to be close to water (although it can stay away from it). In this location, the best way to find them is near water points, for example, rocks in the center of the river that are in the sun, walls close to the river, open spaces where they can stay in the sun, and other rocky places in the surroundings. Of course, if they are in water it may be more difficult to photograph them, they may have to get wet. When they are sunbathing it is easier to spot them, but they are also more active and warm.

LATASTE'S VIPER

The most dangerous species is the Lataste's Viper (Vipera latastei), we must be careful with it. Although it is not aggressive and has a docile behavior, it can bite if handled or grabbed. Its venom is used to kill its prey, not as a defense mechanism. However, because the venom inoculating teeth are at the front, it is inevitable that they do not inject venom when they bite. Juveniles may inject more venom due to lack of experience. It's best to avoid touching them at all and they also leave you alone, you can photograph them calmly and don't get too close to avoid disturbing them so much that they end up running away. They like to be close to walls, so they must be extra careful when jumping over walls or looking for other animals near the wall. They play a very important role in ecosystems, feeding on rodents.

I hope you enjoyed this short guide on 4 species that you can photograph in Serra da Freita, avoid going on very hot days. Bring plenty of water and a hat, if you have one you can take some knee pads so you can be on your knees and take photos without being in too much pain. Gloves help you lift the stones without hurting your hands.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

When we're photographing, it's easy to lose track of what we should or shouldn't focus on, whether it's the most common species or the rarest, whether we're trying to photograph during the day or at night. I created some articles to show you what you can look for in certain places to photograph.

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Find out when to photograph different species of birds on the coast of Oeiras: 4 Species to Photograph on the Oeiras Promenade

SEE MY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE

I created several videos about wildlife photography where I explain how to photograph different species and also some of the best photographic techniques. From photographing coastal birds to photographing the beautiful kingfisher, it's a little playlist that I hope you enjoy and leave a like on the videos.

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