The reptiles in the area are waking up and taking any opportunity they can to kickstart their metabolism with some well earned basking.
With ice still covering most nature reserve ponds at the moment we still have some time before we really get into the active reptile season, but it's just around the corner. Now is a good time to start thinking about your first reptile visit of the season! A warm day will bring them out into the open in search of some warm sheltered spot to bask in. A warm day in early spring can be an ideal time to search for reptiles, they are usually more likely to stay in one place for good ID, and they are more easily seen with no new vegetation to hide in.
Now is a great time to read over your monitoring manual as a refresher before the reptiles really get going.