newts letter 39 autumn 2005

8/7/2019 Newts Letter 39 Autumn 2005

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This is yournewsletter so feel free to write, e-mail or phone if you are moved to make a contribution, or

if there is some topic you feel we could cover. As editor I will always be pleased to hear from you.Patrick Roper, South View, Churchland Lane, Sedlescombe, East Sussex TN33 0PF.

Tel: 01424 870993 and 870208, e-mail [email protected]

Newtsletter Number 39, October 2005Editorial

2005 has been a good year for SARG, particularly the successful and enjoyable

Members Day and AGM at Arlington Reservoir. We hope to see as many of you as

possible there next year on 21 May (see Events List below). As well as our various

gatherings there, Arlington is always a good place to visit for a walk or a family day

out and the Group is grateful to Emma Goddard and South Eastern Water for the

various meeting facilities provided and other help given to SARG.

The year is not over yet, of course, and I am looking forward to another HGBI South

East regional conference, this time in Reigate, Surrey. Always an excellentopportunity to learn more about British reptiles and amphibians and to meet and talk

with like-minded people.

Patrick Roper, editor.

South Downs Campaign

SARG continues to support the South Downs Campaign. This summer (July) the

Campaign notified supporters that core sections of the draft South East Plan were to

be debated by members of the South East England Regional Assembly. South Downslocal authority members on the Assembly number fifteen, from Hampshire, East

Sussex and West Sussex. SARG wrote to the members individually and to date

(September 2005) three responses have been received. These were all in support of

SARGs objectives.

Further details of the Campaign can be obtained from P.O. Box 3473,

Brighton BN1 7FZ

Or on line at: http://www.southdownscampaign.org.uk/main.htm

Pebsham Country Park proposal

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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SARG are fully involved in plans to develop a new co

alley between Hastings and Bexhill and our Comm

untry park in the Combe Haven

ittee member Patrick Roper

nctional countryside area to

mbe Haven which is fed mainly by Powdermill and Watermill

am

y

re widespread. Adders have not, so far,

the

me a first-class wetland area

the

r

V

recently attended a Wetland and Wildlife Workshop at the site to discuss future plans

with others who have a strong interest in the project.

The vision for the Pebsham Countryside Park Project is to create and manage a high

uality, sustainable, attractive, accessible and multi-fuqserve the recreational and economic needs of residents and visitors. Hastings

Borough Council, Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council comprise

the main steering group but, necessarily, many other organisations are involved or

being consulted.

The proposed area is 600 hectares of wetland, pasture and woodland in the valley

ormed by the Cof

Streams running in from the Crowhurst area. The valley floor has extensive dykes

and grazing marsh and much of the area is an SSSI including the well-known Filsh

Reedbed nature reserve. The current Pebsham landfill site will also be stabilised,

planted up and incorporated into the Park.

All three species of newt are found in the various ponds in the Combe Haven valle

nd lizards, grass snakes and slow worms aa

been recorded but may still occur on the old railway embankments between

Crowhurst and Sidley to the north west

of the site (recent records would be

welcome).

The preferred option at present is for

ark to beco

Members of the Pebsham workshop at Filsham

Reedbed on 29 September. Fran Southgate, of

p

with a strong biodiversity dimension

built on the existing, and very good,

wildlife assets of the area. The

construction of a by-pass road across

upper part of the valley will, if it goes

ahead, be a loss to the countryside, but a

park of the quality currently envisaged,

with carefully managed public access

and interpretation, will go a long way to

compensate for the development.

SARG will continue to be involved in

his project and there will be furthe

the Sussex Otters and Rivers Partnership, in

r

the foreground, has become well-known to

many members of SARG in recent years. She isleaving her post for wildlife adventures in

South America this October and we wish he

well.

t

reports as time goes on.

Powdermill Trust survey work

SARG is helping to survey the three reserves owned by the Powdermill Trust in order

to assist them revise the management plans.

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RemembeCatsfield and Crowhurst (nearBattle). 2006 will see survey

Catsfield and Crowhurst (near

Battle). 2006 will see surveyr to send in your records

other conservationists, send them to:

Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre, Woods Mill,

[email protected]

05 survey work involved

ork at Rotherfield, near

f

rs

d

l gro real

na ide?

ar: J

t the ork all

[email protected]

05 survey work involved

ork at Rotherfield, near

f

rs

d

l gro real

na ide?

ar: J

t the ork all

20

20

Records of reptiles and amphibians in Sussex areimportant. So that they can be fully available to

SARG and

Mayfield. This will begin in

early spring next year for

Mayfield. This will begin in

early spring next year for

ww

aamphibians and will continue

into the summer for reptiles.

Survey work involves walking

the reserve and observation o

the ponds. SARG committee

members welcome membe

joining them during survey

work. In particular it is a goo

mphibians and will continue

into the summer for reptiles.

Survey work involves walking

the reserve and observation o

the ponds. SARG committee

members welcome membe

joining them during survey

work. In particular it is a goo

Henfield, West Sussex BN5 9SD, phone 01273497554 or 01273 497521. Or e-mail them to

d, West Sussex BN5 9SD, phone 01273497554 or 01273 497521. Or e-mail them toccTo find out more about the Record Centre and itswork, see the website at: www.sxbrc.org.ukTo find out more about the Record Centre and itswork, see the website at: www.sxbrc.org.uk

ididea for people to work in smal

nature conservation is all about

Contact for Rotherfield next ye

Barry Kemp (see contact list a

over the county.

ea for people to work in smal

nature conservation is all about

Contact for Rotherfield next ye

Barry Kemp (see contact list a

over the county.

ups and not alone. Why not partake of what

mely being out in the countrys

ups and not alone. Why not partake of what

mely being out in the countrys

anet Claydon 01323 492066.

end of this newsletter) carries out survey w

anet Claydon 01323 492066.

end of this newsletter) carries out survey w

In Brief

SARG now has a presence on the Froglife web site with news and pictures from our

area. There is much else to see on the site at: www.froglife.org

Herp musicThere is a piece of music called Newt. Sadly this does not celebrate one of ouriends but refers to the New T, short for theNew Tango Bandfrom

weden.

ds pretty venomous to

amphibian fr

S

And how about the classical record label called Adder? soun

me.

1,000 fine for newt disturbance

From: Legal Eagle, The RSPBs Investigations Newsletter. June 2005, No. 45

500 costs in March 2005. Despite advice from English Nature, Peter Dennis of

cleared a pond of weeds on land that he

any newts in the pond at this time.

r

hers

apped in the removed weed.

A man who recklessly disturbed great crested newts was fined 1,000 and ordered to

pay

Spennymoor, County Durham went ahead and

was developing. He knew that this would harm

Mr. Dennis admitted that he had removed the weed and then did not check it afte

removal. When the police investigated, they found newts had been killed and ot

tr

Dog Days warning

16th century author Godfridus in his Knowledge of things unknowne said of the DogDays, the hottest period of the year from mid-July to mid-August: In these daies all

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venomous serpents creepe, flie, and gender, and so they overset hugely the aire in

seeding of their kind; so that many men are dead thereby.

ou have been warned.Y

p the unsustainable

arvest of amphibians said, at a meeting in Washington DC, in many south-east

staple food item.

Stop eating frogs

Michael Lau, chair of the working group to find ways to sto

h

Asian countries, frog is a

. and hedge eels

at an

pparently this snake used to be (and may

be still is according to one source) eaten in parts of France. However, there does

with the Montpellier snake,Malpolon monspessulanus,

wn as the couleuvre de Montpellier. Whatever

ing

the bucketful usually for quack medicines, but sometimes for eating.

In September the panel on BBC Radio 4s Food Quiz were asked if the knew wh

anguille de haie was. It means hedge eel and is one of the French words for a

grass snake (usually couleuvre collier). A

seem to be some confusion

om the Mediterranean area and knofr

the case, both species are much better alive than in a casserole (or however they were

prepared).

We do not seem to have much of a snake-eating tradition in Britain though, accord

to Thomas Hardy, in Dorset adders were fried to get their oil as an antidote to their

venomous bite and the July edition ofThe Natterjackfrom the British Herpetological

Society said that in the London area adders were once sufficiently common to be

collected by

ing

article in BBC Wildlife Magazine (Birch, 2005) highlights the way in which it will

newts.

ne

e adds that the preservation of existing farmland will be of immediate benefit to

ffer

t

utumn

Entry Level Stewardship

The new Entry Level Stewardship and related schemes launched earlier this year by

the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) promise to br

many changes beneficial to reptiles and amphibians to our countryside. A recent

help grass snakes and great crested

In the case of the former he points out that improved management of existing

farmland ponds will increase the numbers of frogs, toads and newts on which they

feed. Less emphasis on keeping farmland tidy will result in more manure heaps, oof the main places in which grass snakes lay their eggs.

H

great crested newts and other amphibians. Equally important are the planned bu

zones of rough grassland around ponds. These will provide excellent feeding habita

for the newts as well as offering protection from predators such as crows and

pheasants.

Details of stewardship schemes can be obtained from Defras Rural Development

Service at Wye:

Birch, Simon (2005) Farming for wildlife. BBC Wildlife Magazine 23(10) A

2005: 44-50

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The Herp in Literature

Richard Jeffriess essayApril Gossip, published in 1889 is about the countryside

ds, just as they always did, in spite of so much

ny morning I noticed the broken handle of a jug on

at interested me was the fine shining glaze of this

r

l of a

blindworm. I have heard people say that the red ones are venomous, but the grey harmless.

ous

Jeff and

The

sport to you, is death to us.

e

s not seem particularly relevant). Also,

as

Cha d in frogs:

amily

in the oceanic islands is the more remarkable, when contrasted with the case of lizards, which

cility with which the eggs of lizards, protected by calcareous shells might be transported

The

around Heathfield in East Sussex. In the second paragraph he writes:

The lads, who still pelt the frogs in the pon

schooling, call them chollies. . One sun

the bank of the road by the garden. Wh

common piece of red earthenware. And how had the potter made that peculiar marking unde

the surface of the glaze? I touched it with my stick, when the pot-handle drew itself out of

loop shape and slowly disappeared under some dead furze, showing the blunt tai

The red are spiteful, and if you see them in the road you should always kill them. It is curi

that in places where blindworms are often seen their innocuous nature should not be generally

known. They are even called adders sometimes.

riess comment about the frogs is curiously close to Aesops fable The Boys

Frogs written over 2,500 years earlier:

SOME BOYS, playing near a pond, saw a number of frogs in the water and began to pelt

them with stones. They killed several of them, when one of the frogs, lifting his head out of

the water, cried out: "Pray stop, my boys: what is

I wonder if any reader can suggest an origin for the word cholly for a frog (it can b

n alternative form of Charlie, but that doea

h anyone ever heard it being used as a dialect word in Sussex? Editor.

rles Darwin in his Voyage of the Beagle (1845) was also intereste

Du Bois, in his voyage in 1669, states that there were no reptiles in Bourbon except tortoises;and the Officier du Roi asserts that before 1768 it had been attempted, without success, to

introduce frogs into Mauritius I presume for the purpose of eating: hence it may be well

doubted whether this frog is an aboriginal of these islands. The absence of the frog f

swarm on most of the smallest islands. May this difference not be caused, by the greater

fathrough salt-water, than could the slimy spawn of frogs?

island of Bourbon is known today as Runion.

Th

The

idespread attention in the media lately due to remarks by the new U.S. Chief Justice

as once found throughout coastal rivers and

treams in southern and central California. As an adult, it lives on land, where it

lations have suffered throughout the twentieth century as watersheds

southern California have been dammed and polluted by development and other

an

itat, the toad

e geopolitical toad

American southwestern arroyo toad,Bufo microscaphus californicus, has gained

w

John G. Roberts.

Only three inches long, this toad w

s

forages for insects (mostly ants) and digs burrows on sandy terraces.

Arroyo toad popu

in

activities. The toad's habitat has been degraded, fragmented and reduced by urbsprawl, cattle grazing, mining and off-road vehicle use; it now survives only in 22

small, isolated headwaters. In addition, having lost over 80% of its hab

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has also become more vulnerable to other factors such as predation by introduced

000 that a fence and excavation at one of

s'

,

no connection to any economic or interstate

its protection was unrelated to interstate

ded as indicative of Robertss opinions against broad

federal regulation of issues ranging from pollution control to civil rights at the heart of

."

Thus there are global implications stemming from the fate of this hapless toad that

exotic species like bullfrogs, bullhead catfish, bass, green sunfish, and crayfish.

Judge John G. Roberts Jr., with an already

distinguished legal career, was appointed

this September as U. S. Chief Justice. His

involvement with the arroyo toad came afterthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found in

2

its sites were likely to jeopardize the specie

continued existence. The developer sued,

claiming the application of the Endangered

Species Act to the project exceeded the

government's constitutional authority.

Roberts suggested that federal power is

limited and urged the court to reconsider its

decision. (They did, and did not agree with

Judge Roberts). He questioned whether "ahapless toad that, for reasons of its own

lives its entire life in one state could be

regulated by the federal government. It

seems you have to cross a state boundary to

qualify for federal attention.

The developer argued that the species had

activity and had no commercial value, so

commerce and thus unconstitutional.

This case is now widely regar

which lies the United States Constitution's "commerce clause," which empowers

Congress to "regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states

for reasons of its own, lives its entire life in California.

The American Center for Biological Diversity is a great champion of toads. On their

website they say:

been associated with

witchcraft and impurity. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, witches mix toad into their

otion; in Grimm's fairy tales, evildoers spew toads and snakes from their mouths

uri, for example, the toad is the bringer of life-giving rain, having

orrowed wings from the bat to fly up to heaven and sing the rain down.

In the mythologies of European cultures, toads have often

p

when they speak. New World culture has often been kinder to the toad; in the legends

of Mexico's Rarm

b

For more see: http://www.sw-center.org/swcbd/index.html

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FORTHCOMING EVEN

TS

South East Re

aturday, 5 November 2005 The HGBI South East regional conference on the

year by the Surreymphibian & Reptile Group and held in the Woodhatch Centre, Reigate, Surrey (full

Groups of Britain and Ireland

side Centre, Great Glemham Road, Stratford

ter, 10.30am start,

nish at about 4.30pm.

The palmate newt in Norfolk

ointsand what do points mean?

Water frogs in East Anglia

where we are now.

- possibly the largest hibernacula ever built!

dastra 2006

aturday 4 March 2006. The annual conference of Sussex wildlife recorders

ssex Biodiversity Record Centre will be held, as usual, at Adastra

all in Hassocks.

, e-mail: [email protected]

unday 21 May 2006. Our AGM and members day will again be held at Arlington

rom 11am 12

oon and there will be display material on show with some living amphibians and

Enjoy a day full of fresh air, wildlife and good company in a delightful place.

gional ARG Conference 2005

S

theme of Conservation and Biodiversity will be hosted thisA

details at end of this newsletter)

For more information please contact [email protected]

or [email protected]

East Anglian Regional Meetingof the Herpetofauna

Saturday, 19 November 2005 at the River

St. Andrew near Saxmundham, Suffolk. Start time 10am to regis

fi

The programme includes talks on:

Great crested newts mean p

Great crested newt mitigation

Making the adder count developing a recording scheme.

Reptiles and Essex seawalls The pool frog in East Anglia

Further details: http://www.froglife.org/Prog%20and%20reg.doc

A

S

organised by the Su

H

To book a place at this popular event contact Penny Green at the Record Centre:

Tel: 01273 492630

SARG Annual General Meeting & Members Day 2006

S

Reservoir just north of Berwick, East Sussex. The AGM itself will be f

n

reptiles. Most people bring a picnic lunch, then there is a wide range of afternoon

wildlife activities around the perimeter of the reservoir. The day finishes at around

3 oclock.

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Pestalozzi walk, Sedlescombe

there

ill be an afternoon walk around this delightful part of the East Sussex countryside.

eptiles and amphibians and to see the great

rested newt pond and, hopefully, some of its inhabitants. The pond is being restored

cational charity, of 1 will be appreciated

nd tea and cake will be available in the Swiss Hall at the end of the walk. The leader

Sunday 2 April 2006. In conjunction with the Friends of the Pestalozzi Estate

w

There will be an opportunity to look for r

cduring the winter with grant aid from the Heritage LotteryAwards for All scheme and

theHerpetological Conservation Trust.

The walk starts at 3pm from the reception area at the Pestalozzi Village (on the south

side of Sedlescombe at OS map ref. TQ788173) and will last about 2 hours. A

donation to the work of the Trust, an edu

a

will be Patrick Roper, SARG Committee member (and editor of this newsletter) and

also Chair of the Friends of the Pestalozzi Estate.

Adders at Netherfield

Darwell Wood east of Netherfield, East Sussex, is a great site for adders and other

who has lived there for 35 years.

he first time we saw an adder here was in summer 1975. Our son, then 4 years old,

ollection of plastic pots. I was in the kitchen nearby and heard my son's voice say,

en

een on the move and

lways travelling across the same area of our garden from south to north towards the

was in 1994.

,

to the pond and drinking the water. This year we

ink a large female is using our front door step, another hot, dry, sunny spot, as a

wildlife. The account below is by Lilian Forshaw

T

and a friends little boy, were sitting about 5 feet from our back door, between the

ridges of the potato patch. It was a hot day and they were playing dust castles with a

c

'Oh look, pretty.' I looked. There, nestling amongst the pots at their feet, was a silver

grey snake. Noting its clearly zigzag pattern, I took two brisk steps out into the gard

and stood still saying in a low firm voice don't touch it boys.

I think the snake felt my movement because he gently glided away up the bank and

into the woods. Since then we have seen both male and female adders each year

except the summer after the 1987 hurricane. They have always b

a

woods from May through to October.

It is perhaps not surprising that this reptile occurs here as our parish of Netherfield

was recorded in the Domesday book as Nederfield. Nedror nadris the old English

word for adder.

The largest specimen we have seen was a fat golden female that must has been 24"

(70 cm) long. She moved very fast across the whole width of grass between us as we

stood talking. That

More recently they have been seen basking in hot sunshine. On a sunny day in July

1997 my husband watched what looked like a young adder, very thin russet and black

hanging over the edge of a rock in

th

regular refuge.

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We have only ever seen adders singly on our land. Nests of the young are usually

seen further away from the road in the Forestry Commission area. The earliest in any

ear was a black adder seen on May 24th

2000.

ll present too.

orms round the brim of his hat when

e sat on the field gate waiting for her . This was to guide her in the dark as she came

y

We also have slow worms, grass snakes and common lizards, but not so many of these

now, as the road is so busy. Glow worms are sti

Though glow worms are not reptiles or amphibians, I think readers would enjoy this

extra little story from Lilian Forshaw. Editor:

One of our neighbours who was in her 80s back in the 1960s told us how, before

World War I, her young man used to put glow w

h

off duty, out of the back door at Buxted Park where she worked as a lady's maid.

The adder within the M25

Adders may be doing well in Netherfield butlong term future in the Greater London ar

there is considerable concern about theirea where they are now restricted to five sites

ith, all told, maybe only150 individuals. That well-known lover of amphibians and

e of

w

reptiles, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, has called for action to avoid the

extinction of the adder within the M25 boundary in the very near future. He points

to the number of snakes that have been killed trying to cross the motorway, one of the

many such barriers in the South East and elsewhere that are stopping a wide rang

organisms from moving about as they once did, a process that is probably of the

greatest importance in maintaining healthy populations.

g in East Anglia

ana lessonae, one of Europes rarest frogs, were reintroduced by English Nature and

s of

cordings of mating frogs from across Europe, and discovered that Norfolk frogs had

pecies like the bittern

nd large copper butterfly. The northern pool frogs being released in Norfolk were

The re-establishment of the pool fro

A frog with a distinctive Norfolk accent which became extinct in England in the

1990s was returned to the country in August 2005. Around 70 northern pool frogs,

R

partners, who have been researching the frogs intriguing history in England.

Often considered to be an import from continental Europe, the researchers found

northern pool frogs were in fact native to East Anglia. Specialists analysed hour

re

a characteristic inflection. Genetic studies indicated that the frogs were native andthat English pool frogs form a distinct northern group along with Norwegian and

Swedish pool frogs. Archaeological investigations revealed pool frog remains around

old Anglo-Saxon sites in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

Sadly, fenland drainage took its toll and the pool frog died out before its native status

was recognised, decimated in a similar way to other fenland s

a

from the wildlife-rich region of Uppsala in south-central Sweden. The frogs are now

at a secret location near Thetford, to guard against theft by over-enthusiastic

amphibian collectors. Habitats at the site, including special ponds called pingos,

have been restored by the Forestry Commission over the last few years, hopefullyproviding the ideal home for the new arrivals.

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Jim Foster, English Natures amphibian specialist said: Piecing together what

happened to pool frogs has proved to be a real detective story. The frogs distinctive

orfolk accent, the buried remains and genetic studies all provided crucial clues. It

the

,

lony, or any other

olonies.

N

has taken nearly ten years of research, involving people across Europe, to get to

bottom of this mystery, and today is the culmination of all that effort. John Buckley

of the Herpetological Conservation Trust joint leaders of the pool frog project with

English Nature added: It is fantastic to think the people of Norfolk will shortly beable to enjoy the distinctive calls of this fenland frog once again.

In Sussex the pool frog was recorded as an introduction at Hadlow Down in 1992.

We would be interested to hear if there is any recent news of this co

c

Book reviews

Management of bare ground.

booklet.

English Nature, Peterborough. (2005) Free

ture

welcome review of the importance of bare ground to a wide range of

vertebrates and reptiles.

and egg-laying by reptiles, but is now much scarcer in the

ountryside than it used to be in the days of overgrazing and rough, unimproved fields

n be maintained and, if necessary, created.

This title in the series produced by the External Relations Team of English Na

provides a

in

Bare ground is significantly warmer than that under vegetation and therefore

important both for basking

c

and heaths.

The booklet discusses the various types of bare ground and gives information on how

such areas ca

years as one of the ways of helping to prevent heathland

crubbing over and maintaining the complex mosaic of habitats that encourages

,as

, it is important to avoid damaging vegetation structures which

upport populations of reptiles and it advises discussion with local specialist groups

portant topic and highlights

ome of the pitfalls as well as outlining the potential benefits of heathland grazing.

Grazing management of lowland heathlands. English Nature, Peterborough.

(2005) Free booklet.

The use of cattle, ponies, sheep and goats for grazing heathlands has become much

more popular in recent

s

greater biodiversity.

Clearly reptiles and, to a lesser extent, amphibians may benefit from this though

the booklet points out

s

before grazing is introduced.

Another title in the series produced by the External Relations Team of English

Nature, this booklet provides useful background to an im

s

his new leaflet is available online as a PDF file from:

The Arlington Reservoir Walk

T

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http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/047A41DB-1684-4128-AADD-

C508D15F780/0/ArlingtonReservoirWalkWebversion.pdf

r, if you dont feel like typing all that lot in, from:

lar/downloadsouth.htm

1

O

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/countryside/walks/circu

and clicking on Arlington Reservoir Walk.

East Sussex

The chytrid fungal infection, technically cutaneous chytridiomycosis, has been

o trout ponds on

t was mentioned in

ewtsletter 35 in spring this year.

ddening (hyperaemia) of the digital and ventral skin have been

ported. (Daszak et al., 1999)

1998

o this

mass mortality in midwife toads and salamanders in

pain and has been reported from Germany and Italy.

n programme and 11,838 (sic)

ave been removed from the site between 1999 and 2004 as well as several hundred

ea and may present a major threat to native

mphibian populations (Cunningham et al. 2005).

aszak et al. (1999) Emerging infectious diseases and amphibian population declines. Emerging

es 5: 735-748

Chytrid disease outbreak in

confirmed in an introduced population of American bullfrogs in tw

the East Sussex/Kent border near East Grinstead, a possibility tha

N

This affliction, previously unknown in Britain, is regarded as one of the main causes

of amphibian decline elsewhere in the world with 90 to 100% mortality in adults of

some species.

Symptoms include lethargy, loss of the righting reflex, and abnormal posture. Gross

lesions are usually not apparent, but increased epidermal sloughing, epidermal

ulceration and re

re

The disease was first formally described from Central America and Australia in

but it is thought that many amphibian declines in the 1970s and 1980s were due t

infection. The disease has caused

S

The East Grinstead bullfrog population was first recorded in 1999 and the amphibians

have been doing well there and spreading rapidly to smaller local ponds. The

bullfrogs are the target of and English Nature eradicatio

h

African clawed frogs,Xenopus laevis.

The area in question is known to have populations of common frogs, toads, smoothand great crested newts and, clearly, it is likely that the disease will spread to these

species both locally and in the wider ar

a

REFERENCES

Cunningham, A.A. et al. (2005) Emergence of amphibian chytridiomycosis in Britain. The

eterinary Record, September 24 2005.V

DInfectious Diseas

11
http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/047A41DB-1684-4128-AADD-1C508D15F780/0/ArlingtonReservoirWalkWebversion.pdfhttp://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/047A41DB-1684-4128-AADD-1C508D15F780/0/ArlingtonReservoirWalkWebversion.pdf


12/14

The Ashdown Forest course on reptile monitoringtechniques

The course of reptile monitoring techniques advertised in the last Newtsletter and

organised by the Weald Heathland Initiative was held at the Ashdown Forest Centre

in September and was a great success. As well as SARG many other organisations

such as the Forestry Commission, the National Trust and several local authorities

attended illustrating how much importance is now attached to effective survey and

subsequent conservation or mitigation strategies for reptiles.

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The course leader was Dr Lee Brady

from Kent and everyone enjoyed his

infectious enthusiasm for all things

reptilian as well benefiting from his

remarkable knowledge and experience.

While many of those in the audiencealready understood the general

principles of reptile surveying, the

complexities of doing it really

thoroughly and interpreting the

findings correctly were stressed. As

with most things there is, of course, a

contrast between a superficial survey (which may be important) and a best practice

survey in which an attempt is made to understand the size and dynamics of the reptile

population on a site.

Lee Brady inspecting a tin for reptiles during

the Ashdown Forest course

With the ever-accelerating pace of development in Sussex and the South East there isan increasing call for reptile surveys with, where necessary, mitigation and

translocation proposals. Generally these are undertaken according to HGBI

guidelines but inevitably there is often conflict between the needs of developers and

conservationists, with local authorities, in a Janus-faced way, wanting to look after

local biodiversity without inhibiting development and all its job and wealth creating

implications.

It is also important when plans are drawn up for the management of our heaths, downs

and woods that the size and needs of the reptile populations of these places is properly

understood and borne fully in mind. Managing habitats for nightjars, woodlarks,

pearl-bordered fritillaries or marsh gentians may not always be ideal for reptiles (andamphibians) and care has to be taken to strive for the best compromise. The more

those involved are aware of the issues and right up to date with survey techniques, the

better the overall outcomes are likely to be.

The day was organised by the Weald Heathland Initiative led by Caroline Fitzgerald

who, over the last several years has done so much to draw attention to Wealden

heathlands and their future management. This Heritage Lottery supported programme

closes in January 2006 and SARG wishes Caroline and her colleagues well for the

future. Hopefully she will be able to apply her considerable knowledge and

experience, especially of conservation grazing, to some of the many areas where it can

benefit reptiles and amphibians.


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Herpetofauna Groups of Britain and Ireland: South-East

Regional Meeting 2005

on: Saturday 5th

November 2005

at: The Woodhatch Centre, Reigate, Surrey

9.00 a.m. Doors open

9.30 a.m. Arrival, coffee and gossip

MORNING SESSION

10.00 a.m. Welcome by session Chairman Ralph Wycherley

10.05 a.m. Tony Gent (HCT) Politics, legislation, Biodiversity Action

Plans.

10.25 a.m. Steve Tuck (RWE-TW) Water Resource, planning andmanagement in S.E. England.

10.45 a.m. Rick Anstis (SARG) Surrey Countryside Management - ANatural Partnership?

11.05 a.m. Coffee break

11.35 a.m. Chris Gleed-Owen - (HCT) Monitoring species status.

11.55 a.m. Jim Foster (EN) Update on Pool frog reintroduction.

12.15 a.m. Questions

12.30 p.m. LUNCH vegetarian buffet, drinks and gossip

AFTERNOON SESSION

1.30 p.m. Introduction to afternoon session

1.35 p.m. Trevor Beebee (Sussex University) Frog and toad population

sizes: what do the numbers mean?

1.55 p.m. Ros Hughs (Surrey University) Why Great Crested Newts

enter bottle traps.

2.20 p.m. Gareth Matthes, Kevin Morgan - (SARG) Management

problems.

2.40 p.m. SARG case studies (SARG) Rick Anstis, Gareth Matthes,Julia Wycherley

3.00 p.m. Regional Round up.

3.10 p.m. Open Discussion and questions.

3.30 p.m. Coffee and gossip

4.00p.m. Close.

To book apply to Richard Anstis at 16, Burrows Close, Bookham, Surrey KT23 3HB.

Tel: 01372 457222. Fee 10

The Conference is sponsored by Thames Water

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SARG COMMITTEE MEMBERS OCTOBER 2005

SARG Web Sitewww.safari.com/reptile

Chair & Toad Crossing Coordinator

Jenny Bacon

Hammonds Green Cottage, Hammonds

Green, Framfield, East Sussex

TN22 5QH

Tel: 01825 890236

E- mail: [email protected]

Secretary

David Harris

7 Gibbon Road, Newhaven,

East Sussex, BN9 9EW

Tel: 01273 515762

E-mail: [email protected]

Minutes Secretary

Eileen Harris

26 St Peters Road, Seaford, East SussexBN25 2HP


Treasurer

Sue Pitcher

30 Beckett Road, Worthing, West Sussex

BN14 7EX

Tel: 01903 522611. E-mail:

[email protected]

Surveys Officer

Barry Kemp

Amblehurst, Nevill Road, Crowborough,

East Sussex TN6 2RA

Tel: 01892 663942


Heathland Forum rep & Arlington

Advisory Committee Rep

Alf Simpson MBE

Hardanger, Littleworth, Partridge Green,

Horsham, West Sussex RH13 8JF

Tel: 01403 710694


SARG Library

Janet Claydon

9 Kingsway, Seaford ,

East Sussex BN25 2NE

Tel: 01323 492066

Events

Linda Burnham

20 Palehouse Common, Framfield,

Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 5QY

Tel: 01825 890852

Newsletter Editor

Patrick Roper

South View, Churchland Lane,Sedlescombe, East Sussex TN33 0PF

Tel: 01424 870993


South East Water

Emma Goddard

The Lodge, Arlington Reservoir, Berwick,

Polegate, East Sussex BN26 6TF

Tel: 01323 870810 Ext23

http://www.safari.com/reptilemailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.safari.com/reptile

newts letter 39 autumn 2005

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