AS the weather begins to warm up many of the rarely seen residents of local nature reserves slowly wake up from hibernation.

A recent walk across one of the districts' heathlands with a fellow Ranger produced an unusual sight.

Basking in the midday sun on a patch of bare sand was a pair of common lizards. The reason for this being such an uncommon sight is that once warmed up the slightest disturbance will send these shy creatures retreating to the nearest cover in the blink of an eye.

We were lucky, on this occasion, as although sunny, it was still a cool day preventing the lizards reaching their optimum temperature.

This meant they didn't have the energy to scuttle away at any speed and had decided it was safer to lie still in the hope we had not seen them.

Temperature is crucial to lizards, in fact all reptiles, amphibians - such as frogs and newts -and even insects.

They are what is commonly known as cold-blooded. Until the lizards' bodies are warm enough they are too sluggish to hunt for food, avoid predators or even digest their food if they are lucky enough to catch some.

One of the lizards that we saw had a much shorter tail than the other.

This was probably a battle wound with a predator in the past. When a predator such as a kestrel catches a common lizard, it usually does so by the tail.

In response to this, the tail breaks offand wriggles in the foot of its assailant as a distraction while the lizard escapes. This may seem like a simple thing to do but many lizards die afterwards from infection or blood loss.

It also takes a long time and a lot of energy to grow another one, which is usually deformed or at the very least shorter so this isn't something the lizard can do every day.

Lizards are not the ugly, slimy creatures many people believe them to be. They actually have smooth, dry skin, often with striking patterns and coloration.

Perhaps their most endearing characteristic, however, is their love of eating flies and their larvae.

Should you wish to see reptiles, the best time is early morning on a warm summers day, but remember the most you are likely to see is a lizard shaped blur disappearing into the undergrowth.