Fence post sunbathing

Earlier this year I blipped the European wall lizards from Old Fort at Shoreham, so for today I thought I would blip our Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara.
The common or viviparous lizard can be found from Asia all across central and Northern Europe and is the only reptile found in Ireland.
As the name viviparous suggests these lizards give birth to live young, but in warmer areas of it's range it also lays eggs. They mate in late April / May and after approx 12 weeks the young measuring about 3cm are born. Males take two years to attain sexual maturity, females 3.
They are about 5 inches in length excluding the tail, which is typically approx twice the length of the body, although they are often missing the tail as they can shed it if threatened.
They are usually darkish brown in colour, with a complex pattern of stripes and lines running down the body. Males have a yellow or orange coloured underside.
They can be found in a variety of habitats, and although widely distributed are not common and can best be described as local.
They hibernate from around October to mid February, often in groups and can most often be seen sitting on wooden fence posts basking in the sun to help raise their body temperature.
They eat insects, and can move surprising quickly, they can also swim well.
Iping common has a good population of these lizards, and I have discovered as long as they can't see your face you can get to about 2 inches or less from them with the camera and they seem not to notice at all. This picture was taken with my 50mm macro lens from about 4 inches and is only a slight crop.
Enjoy, I think they are really lovely.