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Posts by rhysrkid: |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98  View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 06 Feb 2006
Topic: Newts in drain
Cheers will try and send more detailed pics when at work tomorrow. R Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 07 Feb 2006
Topic: Newts in drain
Thanks guys. Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 14 Nov 2003
Topic: Hibernaculum
I currently manage a local nauture reserve where we have recently recorded Great Crested Newts. Would anyone know of where i could obtain a method for the creation of a hibernaculum. I have the English Nature mitigation guidlines where it is mentioned but only briefly. Many thanks Rhys Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 14 Oct 2004
Topic: Where are the adults?!
Hi RAUK I've been surveying for grass snakes on my reserve at Heathrow since the middle of May. I'm glad to say that I have had a lot of success with roofing felt refugia. However, all of the individuals caught and logged have been juveniles or sub-adult. Adults have occasionally been seen (most often swimming in the reservoir) but as yet I have not found them under tiles or seen any this year. The number of young snakes is high and there is plenty of suitable egg-laying habitat available so I can only assume that adults are around somewhere. Could anyone suggest an explanation? I realise that perhaps the position of my refugia may have an affect but I believe they have been well situated. Cheers Rhys Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 12 May 2005
Topic: Impact of surveys
Hi I am into my second season of grass snake surveys and a couple of issues have come to my attention which I hope an expert or two in the forum can comment on. I am more than aware that all too often work carried out such as habitat management or radio tagging individuals etc can be done with the best intensions but can actually do more harm than good unless carefully researched, which made me question the ethics of my surveys. In order to monitor populations I have been capturing individuals and photographing neck and belly markings to identify individuals (which has been very successful with a population so far around 20 individuals on a site of about 11 ha, of which 5.5 is open water). Handling times are kept to a minimum but inevitably there is some discomfort experienced by the individuals. I carry out surveys approximately once per month. What if any, is the cost of predator avoidance behaviour such as the excretion of anal fluids or playing dead? Does handling like this affect their behaviour post capture - i.e. hunting success/mate finding success etc. Most of the snakes caught are young or juvenile - does anyone feel that handling like this will impact upon their overall fitness? The data is providing some interesting info on the snakes basking site fidelity and movements. However, obviously the welfare of the snakes is far more important than the population data. Attempting this sort of survey has not been possible without capture as the photos taken simply do not reveal enough information. Any thoughts on this matter would be very much appreciated, although I appreciate that it is unlikely anyone has done a study on this topic! In addition, I will be supplying records at the end of this season for anyone who is interested. Thanks
Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 12 May 2005
Topic: Impact of surveys
Thanks Tony. One the main issues I had was that the snakes are generally young rather than adult. Of course all 'processing' takes place there and then (I try to handle as little as is necessary), but when they start to perform predator avoidance behaviour I sometimes feel that, for a young snake, this could be detrimental - remember its the same snakes that are recaptured on each survey. However, I guess if it is that bad they cant remember as they always return to the same spot unlike cobras and mamabas! Thanks for your comments, particularly with reference to breeding season. Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Spotting Grass Snakes in the field
Hi Maculatus Unless you know a site where they are present or popular basking locations it can be very difficult to spot grass snakes, particularly as the temperatures start to rise in summer. I find that grass snakes can spend a lot of time basking in the early and late months of the year but they do tend to move off much more quickly than adders! However, picking a site where there is good wetland habitat and associated amphibian populations together with suitable grassy and scrubby areas near by is a good idea. Try looking on south facing slopes which have good cover e.g. bramble patches etc and you may get lucky. Picking a good day also helps - patchy sun is often good as they need longer to warm up than on really bright days. I find mid morning (8:00 - 10:00) and again in the afternoon (around 16:00) the most successful times. You could also contact your local Reptile and Amphibian Group to see if they have any trips planned to known sites. Hope this helps and good luck - donÆt forget to submit any finds to your local recorder or alternatively on this website. Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Ticks
Do tick infestations occur on all reptiles or has this only been observed on (Dorset) sand lizards? Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Notification email, are you getting them?
I did not recieve a notification for the last post I made... Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Marsh frog - impacting upon common frog??
Hi I was wondering if people might like to comment on where they have seen Marsh/edible/pool frog (for arguments sake I will refer to them as marsh frog from here on) and whether common frog is also present where they occur. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that marsh frogs are having a negative impact upon our common frog populations. At the London Wetland Centre common frog has been in decline for the last 5 years with a drop in spawn clumps again this year. This seems to be inversely related to the marsh frog population which has steadily increased. At Heathrow, where we have a large and thriving marsh frog population, we find no common frog at all despite having numerous suitable breeding sites (not entirely true û we have one new site where 3 clumps of common frog spawn were recorded this year for the first time û marsh frog is not present here and as yet I have not seen adults). A recent study by an MSc Student of UCL looked at marsh frog diet and found it to be very much a generalist. Also it appears to feed mainly on terrestrial prey, adopting sit-and-wait strategy, rather than actively seeking aquatic prey. This, together with emergence time, would seem to rule out the possibility of adults feeding directly on tadpoles, or at least if they do it does not form a significantly high enough proportion of their diet to have a detrimental affect. However, although the preferred habitats do differ, common frog does co-exist with marsh frogs in mainland Europe. I appreciate that this is by no means 100% conclusive and the study conducted was over only one season. It is hard to ignore the anecdotal observations of common frog absence where marsh frog is present. We have one very good toad pond which also supports a healthy marsh frog population so; in this case at least, their presence does not seem to be affecting toads. What does the forum think about this issue? I would be interested if anyone has observed similar common frog decline/absence where marsh frog is present. Could they be impacting upon the adults themselves? Or is this just a reflection of general UK wide common frog declines? Any info or comments would be appreciated together with just general observations about these frogs û perhaps the wetlands I have been working on are an exception? Thanks in advance, Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Frogs in my Parents Garden
If the frogs croak during the day - sounding like a cackle or odd laugh and at this time of year then it is almost certainly marsh frog (or close relative) as common frogs have already spawned. Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Marsh frog - impacting upon common frog??
Thanks Gemma I'm pretty sure that marsh frog is one of the main reasons we have a strong grass snake population, so I too am puzzled by your contacts report of their decline. Its interesting that you mention newts as well. These seem to do fine in all marsh frog populated ponds that I know of...
Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Marsh frog - impacting upon common frog??
Thanks for this info Gemma, its certainly an area that should have more attention. Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 13 May 2005
Topic: Burrow Question
Facinating picture - thanks! Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 14 May 2005
Topic: Frogs in my Parents Garden
Thanks for that Mike. In my expereince, the marsh frog is much louder in its vocalisations and they call all day and all night - non stop (providing the weather is good), so perhaps I should have mentioned that. In fact people tend to make complaints as they keep them up at night! The calls are very different (although without analysis it is difficult to separate the different water frog species) but I guess to be really sure we need to see a photo or hear the call. Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 16 May 2005
Topic: Marsh frog - impacting upon common frog??
Thanks for this input Jon I appreciate that there are many factors that influence common frog populations, I was just highlighting numerous reports and observations that common frog seems to have declined in areas where marsh frog has become more abundant. Perhaps I didn't make the two arguments entirely clear - I certainly donÆt regard Marsh frogs as completely unwelcome visitors as I'm sure (at least at Heathrow) there is in fact a net gain in terms of supporting grass snakes, aquatic inverts and birds. Other amphibians also seem to do well. The study I mentioned predicted no significant impact of marsh frog upon aquatic invert populations due to the wide variety of prey taken and the fact that despite the frogs aquatic nature the items were primarily terrestrial. The tadpoles no doubt help the Dytiscus, dragonfly and other predatory taxa. I saw a heron attempting to swallow a fully grown marsh frog which it struggled with for some time, eventually getting it down. No bittern, as yet though! To conclude - I was simply interested if anyone else has observed marsh frog and common frogs coexisting or situations where one has (apparently) resulted in the absence of the other. It seems that they should coexist and that predation is probably not an issue but it is hard to ignore the decline or absence of common frog in my area - despite the presence of good habitat. Like I said this could be due to other factors that are also affecting UK populations as a whole. Regards
Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 16 May 2005
Topic: Marsh frog - impacting upon common frog??
Thanks Gemma - I think that sums things up nicely - I'm not all that good at conveying messages sometimes  ! Jon is right in that we cant just make assumptions. More (published) study is needed to determine any interactions between the two species.Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 18 May 2005
Topic: Newts in Canals
I have found smooth newt to breed in and amongst reed beds of lakes as well as reedbeds which are contained within concrete walls (a polluted runoff treatment system - an equally unlikely location!). So they may also use marginal vegetation of canals such as reed beds, although I have never had the chance to observe this so cant say it definitely happens. Also on canals such as the Shropshire Union and Llangollen canal, one bank is often vegetated rather than a retaining wall. This often leads to small 'bays' and cut-off pools which could support amphibians. Vegetation can become quite diverse in these areas, especially if fenced off from livestock. Perhaps there are no other suitable water bodies and the newts are using the canal as an alternative? Alternatively, could they have dispersed from a nearby pond that was out of sight? Often along canals there are ponds and small balancing reservoirs designed to take overflow when water levels rise. These can sometimes be situated down slopes or in woodland and so be difficult to spot. What was the surrounding habitat like? Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 19 May 2005
Topic: Newts in Canals
Lee What sort of impact do you think the high levels of suspended solids have on their courting behviour? Or are they less dependent than crested newts on clearer water for the male displays/pheremone wafting? Canals are often very murky with poor visibility - even though water quality is usually quite good. Cheers Rhys |
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rhysrkid Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 No. of posts: 98 View other posts in this topic |
Posted: 20 May 2005
Topic: Newts in Canals
Thanks Lee - i guess so long as they are able to detect each other it doesn't matter - would be a bit like blind date though! I would have said that from David's description, the surrounding habitat would be good with woodland for foraging and hibernation. Cheers Rhys |
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