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november crested cresties: |
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ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337  View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 08 Nov 2010 hi all  ,
sat november 6th. around midnight. ignoring nearby firework displays and searching for something far more interesting, i had a quick look in the pond. i wasnt surprised to see a couple of the usual suspects (adult male frogs) but then scanning with the maglite i saw a male crestie half out of the water and resting against an iris stem. it wouldve made a great pic. looking further i spotted a second at the surface and also a very terrestrial phase-looking male smooth newt further down the water column. the cresties had half-developed crests. males in this pond usually start to return in late november. 6th november seems ridiculously early to me. however, when i mentioned the early return of newts to my pond to chris gleed-owen of the HCT a few years ago he just shrugged and said that different populations return at different times. normal then. anyway, next morning i made another visit to the pool and spotted this one near the bank. 
i threw it a worm. which it relished. hope i dont get done for disturbing it. hmm, i must get an underwater camera. 
ben Diversity. |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369  View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 09 Nov 2010 A very interesting observation - which needs to be recorded - November was unseasonably mild so could this have sent male newts back into the ponds for breeding? Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369 View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 09 Nov 2010 It would be good to get yourself licensed and then you can collect the newts and take photos of their crests - using a small clear container with water. You can then compare the crest heights with animals in the spring just an idea J Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 14 Nov 2010 thanks for your thoughts and suggestions j. coincidentally, ive been considering getting a licence again (i had a survey one previously for NARRS) and have been looking at FSC courses. reasoning that having something on paper will make my application more attractive. however im finding it difficult to choose a course. the sites "help" isnt much. ive been around the caudata all my life (im old enough to remember the days when you could handle GCN unlicenced!) so i can ID life stages easily etc etc. ive spent long hours observing newts for years. also read a lot of books. right back to M Smith on the other hand, although ive some idea what makes good habitat from what ive seen, im a newcomer to computers/cameras/technology (!), ive never used a GCN habitat suitability index or done any bottle trapping/ conservation work. in a nutshell, im quite well developed in some senses, yet remedial in others.
when choosing a course, should i consider myself a beginner or an intermediate/improver? FSC site doesnt provide a fone no. shame as it would be nice to actually SPEAK to someone. basically, its WORKING TOWARDS A GCN LICENCE COURSE vs GCN's AND LICENCING FOR SURVEYS COURSE any aid to my choosing from anyone much appreciated. meantimes, im keeping a daily journal of what i see. the diary of a garden pond. records will be available upon request. if any made!
regards, ben Diversity. |
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sussexecology Member Joined: 30 Sep 2010 No. of posts: 37 View other posts by sussexecology |
Posted: 15 Nov 2010
Hi Ben You could try a course with the IEEM. They do a whole range of courses and these are aimed at different levels as well and there are some which focus on GCN. I don't know about the FSC courses for next year but I would recommend trying the IEEM first, since you don't need to be a member to attend these. Hope that helps.
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- november crested cresties |