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Lizards!: |
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Dorsetgal Member Joined: 05 May 2005 No. of posts: 10  View other posts by Dorsetgal |
Posted: 05 May 2005 Hi, I am new to the forum and wonder if you can help with a query please? These two lizards have been on my patio for most of the afternoon, are they common or sand lizards? Are they mating? Photos not top quality as I took them from inside the house through a double glazed window!
Thanks for looking, Dorsetgal |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 05 May 2005 Excellent! Definitely male and female Sand Lizards in courtship. You're very lucky to get these rare lizards on your patio , do you mind if I ask where in UK you live ? Cheers for showing us , Al O-> O+> |
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Dorsetgal Member Joined: 05 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Dorsetgal |
Posted: 05 May 2005 Thanks for that...I did wonder if they were Sand Lizards, but haven't seen any quite that green before. Which is which, do you know? I live in Dorset, the clue is in my name, lol, on the edge of a SSSI, literally on the edge, my garden backs directly onto heathland, so much so I have had to erect deer proof fencing! I also had to have two ponds removed as they proved a bit of a haven for snakes! I often see lizards basking on my patio when the weather warms up. Regards, Dorsetgal |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 05 May 2005 Blimey, I would have dug a couple of more ponds for the snakes myself  , Green one is the male. Your going to be the envy of the whole forum having sand lizards in your garden  Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 05 May 2005 [QUOTE=Dorsetgal] I live in Dorset, the clue is in my name, lol, Dorsetgal LOL! Sorry , I really should pay more attention  I was to busy drolling over the thought of having Sandies in the garden.
Nice to meet you , Al O-> O+> |
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Dorsetgal Member Joined: 05 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Dorsetgal |
Posted: 05 May 2005 The ponds had to go as I had adders, grass snakes and slow worms in the garden. We think the adders were nesting in the compost bins, certainly the grass snakes were eating my fish! One adder got caught in the pond netting and died I have a dog and wanted the garden to be somewhere I could let him run without watching his every move for snakes. As for the lizards, well they come and go as they please and I am willing to share the garden with them! Cheers, Dorsetgal |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 05 May 2005 Hmmm, Have you looked at the species ID pages . I think you may have your adders and Grass snakes mixed up . It is usually Grassys that nest in compost, and swim to eat fish O-> O+> |
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Dorsetgal Member Joined: 05 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Dorsetgal |
Posted: 05 May 2005 It was definitely an adder caught in the rolled up pond netting that died ... got it ID'd by the local warden. It was also definitely grass snakes that were eating the fish from the ponds, netted one myself to ID it. We thought it was adders in the compost, but only by guesswork, I am prepared to accept it might have been the grass snakes though. The slow worms were in piles of lawn clippings. Thankfully, no further sightings of snakes in the garden since the ponds were removed 2 summers ago. Cheers, Dorsetgal
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Dorsetgal Member Joined: 05 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Dorsetgal |
Posted: 06 May 2005 Just the green one, the male was out and about on the patio this afternoon, no sighting of the other one though.
Regards, Dorsetgal |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369  View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 08 May 2005
Excellent to see these sandies in a garden - Jon Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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chas Member Joined: 30 Jan 2005 No. of posts: 27 View other posts by chas |
Posted: 10 May 2005 Water under the bridge now, but removing the ponds will not deter adders-only grass snakes. Charles Snell |
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Dorsetgal Member Joined: 05 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Dorsetgal |
Posted: 10 May 2005 Yes, I guess so, but intertestingly, no adders seen since the ponds went, or grass snakes or slow worms for that matter. However, the ponds going was part of a major garden re-design ... I inhereited the ponds when I bought the house and really they were too much work for me and the snakes were the final straw! I am seeing the lizards daily on the patio at the moment, but only one at a time, not both out like they were the other day. Do they eat ants by any chance? They seem to be spending a fair amount of time in a part of the patio that is very warm (88 this lunchtime) and overrun with ants.
Regards, Dorsetgal |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 10 May 2005 Good question ! I spent half an hour the other day watching a small group of sand lizard juveniles close to an ants nest, hoping to see if they actually took any ants, I saw no sign that they were actually hunting ants, although they all passed up obvious opportunities. So the jury is still out as far as I know, though there are more experienced members on this forum whom I am sure will know :P Oh, btw, too jealous to post anything else on this thread :P Steve Langham - Chairman 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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chas Member Joined: 30 Jan 2005 No. of posts: 27 View other posts by chas |
Posted: 10 May 2005 Iexpect the new garden design has been the deterrent for the adders rather than the removal of the pond! The lizards will only take the flying ants as they are formic acid free. I guess you are seeing both ants and lizards together as they both seek out warmth. I would be careful about using ant powder to control the ants as this may prove toxic to the lizards when they walk around tasting the ground with their tongues. Charles Snell |
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djp_phillips Senior Member Joined: 09 Jan 2006 No. of posts: 180 View other posts by djp_phillips |
Posted: 28 Jan 2006 lovely photos, would it interest you in contributing one to reptilia- amphibia.net -? Reptiles & Amphibians of France: www.herpfrance.com European Field Herping Community: www.euroherp.com |
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Dorsetgal Member Joined: 05 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Dorsetgal |
Posted: 16 Apr 2007 They're back! Well, I had plenty of activity with the sand lizards on the patio last year, even had the youngsters stray into the house and had to mount searches for one that my father kept reporting as present in his bathroom! Got it eventually, and returned it to the patio! Sadly, we found one tiny one had made it into the living room and expired behind the curtains Today, I had the first sighting of the year, a male sand lizard making its way across the grass at some speed in the general direction of the pot where they have settled over the past couple of years. All happened too quickly to take a photo though! I'll look and see if I can find some of last years pics to share. |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 17 Apr 2007 I missed this post the other year. Which piece of heath do you live next to ? Had several Sand Lizards brought in by cats into houses around Canford Heath when I was curator down at Poole Aquarium but never seen Sand Lizards in the gardens so far. I am usually on the heath side and have seen animals close to many houses so would expect some to move in and find some nice basking spots. Had to remove a Smooth Snake from a garden next to Broadstone Rec. once as it was living in a crack in the lawn and the owners were worried they may hurt it with the lawn mower. David British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
- Lizards! |
