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basking : |
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Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575  View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 11 Apr 2004 Cracking day for slow worms, total of 112, 20 were last years babes - 39 were imms - 50 were ad males and the rest females. 27 adult males and 4 females were basking on surface - rest UT. Tony |
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j gaughan Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2003 No. of posts: 57 View other posts by j gaughan |
Posted: 18 Apr 2004 ''In nature, never say never'' (M. Preston) Last friday afternoon (16th April), 5 slowworms _sub-ad & 4 imms, under very hot tins on the chalk slopes of a Bromley London Borough GC (NW Kent), being part of the 'London adder survey' (EN / HCT / others) viviparious lizards also, on, under and in between tins _but not hanging around We met a local, Tom (86 next month) whose walked around this particular 100-yr old 'course' the last 80 yrs _prob. a world record, who had adders at only one spot (S-facing N edge) 30+ yrs ago . . . we shall be so lucky John |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 20 Apr 2004 Saw four males out basking in Co. Durham last weekend (11th April), here's one of them: 
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green_toad Member Joined: 22 Sep 2003 No. of posts: 12  View other posts by green_toad |
Posted: 10 May 2004 just rescued a sub-adult male, approx 20-25 cm, from a neighbours cat on the edge of a protected field in North Somerset. Kept him for half an hour, to make certain the cat had gone, before re-releasing him in the hedgerow where the cat had dragged him from. Appeared fine & quickly moved off to find cover under some fallen branches. will try & post a picture when I get the film developed. |
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j gaughan Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2003 No. of posts: 57 View other posts by j gaughan |
Posted: 28 May 2004 Recently on chalk grassland, NW Kent, a collegue had 4 slowworms under one of those new, triangular 'road signs' (PVC-coated aluminium). I had a sub-ad. inside an upturned drinks can, very much alive, frantically bolting out of the hole. Although it wasn't trapped, i still had to remove its 'thermo-device' as lethal litter. It was on a slope. We've had 'dead' sand lizard in a can, 3 in a plastic bottle (all ads.) & viv. lizard in a wine bottle, on heathland, Surrey. Nearly every field day, i come home with a carrier bag or two of rubbish. It has to be done . . . John |
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Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 29 May 2004 If you have been to Studland here in Dorset then you will know that it is a beautiful place and a cracking reptile area. I too gather rubbish, lots of it, at Studland. Studland is just one big leisure park to most, its used all over as a public toilet, I find items of clothing, condoms, and even a chip pan full of oil last year. Seing sand lizards basking next to human faeces and toilet paper is not nice. Chris Gleed-Owen and I had a gravid female sand lizard actually trapped in a crisp packet (one of those tinfoil ones) last year. Tony |
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j gaughan Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2003 No. of posts: 57 View other posts by j gaughan |
Posted: 02 Jun 2004 A collegue recently informed me of a natterjack he found trapped in a crisp packet ( . . . to check) on dunes at quite a distance inland (Lancashire). More on trappings & dead 'finds' on a fresh thread shortly. . . . i forgot to mention the rusty frames of burnt out motorbikes & cars. The later provides fabulous 'micro-habitat' for viv. lizards at one LNR (S. London). We recycle the flatter bits, subject to removal, as 'tins'. My 1st reptile find was under 'corrugated', and since then i've had all our terrestrial herp. spp. (except pool frog) under these lids. Maxwell Knight in his 'Be A Nature Detective' (1968) appears to be the first author to state finding all 6 reptiles ''under these sheets . . . at one time or another''. Anyone any idea what the earliest lit. ref. is to a british reptile under tin? I seem to remember something from the 1930's but will look again . . . John |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 02 Jun 2004 Has anyone got a record for the most species found under one tin? Many years ago, I found a grass snake, an adder and a smooth snake under one tin in Dorset. |
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Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 02 Jun 2004 I have several. Although he is in NZ Keith Corbet can corroborate this. Under one 6ft tin at Frensham 1975 - 15 gravid female adders. CGO has records of up to five smooth snakes under one tin. Last year I had four females under one tin. Under a slab of concrete at Norden 1982, with Chris Packham 9 gravid female adders. Most slow worms 12 under tin. Had a great one last year. Lifted a tin at Hartland and all in a line and in order were - male adder, female, imm female and neo, all tightly coiled individually and they just sat there and no b....y camera! Quite often get all three snake species together under one tin. Tony |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 02 Jun 2004 [QUOTE=j gaughan] Recently on chalk grassland, NW Kent, a collegue had 4 slowworms under one of those new, triangular 'road signs' (PVC-coated aluminium).[/QUOTE] John, Any chance of suggesting to your colleague that the NW Kent records find their way to an appropriate source ;-) Lee Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 15 Oct 2004 John, In your copy of Maxwell Knight's book (How to be a Nature Detective), is there any mention of Kent sand lizards? It has been suggested that the original source of the Sandwich record was 'M. Knight'. Knight is actually a very interesting character - did you know he used to be a spy for MI5?! Lee Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 15 Oct 2004 I have looked in 3 Maxwell Knight books Field Work for young Naturalists 1966 British A & R & Pond dwellers 1977 first published 1956 as Instructions to young naturalists Reptiles in Britain 1965 The last two mention Sand Lizard but nothing about Kent. The last book does say S.lancashire,Hamphire,Dorset,Surrey and one or two places in our suthern counties where it has been record but cannot be regarded as being established. L.Harrison Matthews 1952 The British Amphibia & Reptiles Field study books mentions Kent but nothing more. Have you done a thorough literature search of all the Natural History , Field Clubs, Natural science & Arcaeological societies of Kent and any towns or sub areas. You would need to go through page by page not just the index. I have found this turns up surprising unknown results but is time consuming but does show one what effort the victorian naturalists and those of the 1920's and 1930's put in and often have been forgotten. British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 15 Oct 2004 David, Thanks for the info re Knight. Disappointing result though. The Sandwich record is dated 1960. If Knight did report it to Frazer you would expect it to be in one of Knight's later works... Believe me I am doing the literature search! I have several extremely interesting accounts from some of the Natural History Societies. Sadly many of the societies no longer exist and it can be difficult to obtain the publications. It's good fun looking though! The Folkestone Natural History Society in particular has some extremely well written accounts of snakes and slow-worm at Folkestone Warren - but no mention of sand lizard. Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Moderator Admin Group Joined: 14 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 21 View other posts by Moderator |
Posted: 15 Oct 2004 Lee 5 ??? Moderator |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 15 Oct 2004 No idea what you mean! Edit: Oh MI5! Yes I know!!! See this link. Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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