First Records for 2007


Well it's already March and other than the adder seen at Kingswood I have yet to detail this year's early records.

The year started back in December (!) when I received the following message from Ken Plume:

"I forgot to mention that I observed 1 x adult smooth newt [female] in my front garden on 23rd Dec 2300 hrs obviously looking for my pond. [don't ask what I was doing with a torch in my garden at that time of night]."

We won't ask Ken!

I also received a record (submitted via the KRAG online recording form) from Ian Cardy. Ian observed a pair of common frogs in amplexus in his garden pond on the same evening.

I regularly observe amphibians active during the winter months. Indeed, looking back through the KRAG database we have the following records for December:

6/12/2000 Common frog observed jumping into pond at Sandwich (L. Brady)

12/12/2000 Great crested newt found in woodland near Canterbury (P. Shore)

23/12/1980 Great crested newt found near Mersham-le-Hatch (E.Philp)

25/12/2002 Thirteen common frogs seen in pond at Dunkirk (L.Brady) - yes I know it was Christmas Day!

30/12/2002 Two common frogs seen in pond at Dunkirk (L.Brady)


In fact there are other records available for common frog (adult and juvenile) that were observed active in my garden pond during December as well. With the prospect of climate change and milder winters, I wonder if we should be looking for amphibian activity throughout the winter period. What does the term hibernation really mean for amphibians such as common frog and great crested newt?

Many books state that amphibians such as the great crested newt hibernate between the months of October and March. Interestingly, if you consult one of the most up to date web resources for information about the great crested newt, there is no reference to hibernation period. ARKive states that:

"Eggs are laid in February or March and are protected from predation by having the leaves of water plants folded over them."

It would be difficult for great crested newt to lay eggs in February if they hibernated all the way up to March! Citing two of the country's leading herpetologists (Trevor Beebee and Richard Griffiths), ARKive offers the following:

"Great crested newts leave the water in August and September; their behaviour during their period on land is poorly understood."

Certainly, amphibians are less active during the winter months. However, I have found great crested newt eggs in early February and I have reports of eggs being found as early as January in ponds at Dungeness. The first great crested newt record for 2007 was submitted by Alex Ewing who reported that two individuals were seen at a site in Canterbury on January 17th.

It is not unusual for common frog to deposit spawn in December in places such as Cornwall. If you think that's early, frogspawn has been reported from Pembrokeshire in November! Perhaps this is a trend that will extend to other areas in the near future? In Kent the first common frog spawn is usually observed around Valentine's Day (14th February). This year, the first spawn was reported by Martin Hendy from a pond in Whitstable on 15th February.




Three adult common frogs were observed in my garden pond at Dunkirk on 16th January 2007. It was a particularly mild and wet evening and I also saw an adult male smooth newt in full breeding condition making his way across the lawn towards the pond. The first frogspawn didn't appear in my garden pond until 1st March.

I received an interesting email from Peter Moss on 17th February:

"We found this red frog in our garden today (17th Feb at 16:00 approx) quite healthy. About 4-5 inches nose to bum (quite large at first glance thought it was a toad). We couldn't find anything on the internet and apparently red frogs don't exist in SE England."




Has anybody else seen interesting colour variations in common frogs?

I haven't yet received any records of common toad spawn (toads tend to spawn a little later than frogs). Martin Hendy found a juvenile common toad at a school site in Bromley on 7th March.




Marsh frogs are not native to Britain. The Kent population is believed to have originated from Hungarian frogs that were introduced into a garden on Romney Marshes in the 1930's. Marsh frogs breed even later in the year than toads and the first individuals are not usually seen (or heard!) until at least March or April. Ian Cardy's record of marsh frogs calling from Shorne Marshes on 22nd February is therefore of particular interest. Ian writes:

"Dull & overcast day, not especially warm. A couple heard calling in a rather desultory fashion. Seems very early for green frogs although it may be that I just haven't bothered looking for them in February before!"


Well we all know by now when the first adder was seen (4th February), but what about the other reptiles? The year's first slow-worm was observed by Martin Hendy at Riverside Country Park on 28th February.




Interestingly the first lizards were not observed until Brett Lewis spotted a pair whilst helping me to prepare a new survey area at Kingswood on 2nd March. To date I have received no 2007 records for grass snake.

Are then any other early records for this year? If you have observations please do email them to me or submit them via the KRAG recording form.

Lee Brady

Posted: Sun - March 11, 2007 at 10:24 am        

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