Common Lizard

I spent the weekend around Clifden with other members of the Galway Walking Club doing a Mountain Skills 1 course with Noel O’Leary. On the way back to the rendevouz point after some walking, one of my companions spotted this common lizard in the heather. It seemed to have a large bulge in its middle, so I presume it is a female about to give birth. Mind you, I had a fairly bulging middle section myself after an outstanding meal in Mitchell‘s followed by apple-based refreshements in Kings on the Saturday night. Picture below showing the afore-mentioned bulging middle (of the lizard – you don’t really want to see mine) plus a hand (not mine either) to give an idea of scale. Pictures taken with a Canon G9 compact camera on the macro setting.