Tue - March 4, 2008

New Website Now Online!

KRAG's newly redesigned website can now be accessed at www.kentarg.org.

The website was designed by Jennifer Drage and now offers dynamic updating of news items etc. Some links still require a little work, but the new site will help us to ensure that news of activities, events and other issues relating to the conservation of reptiles and amphibians are reported on a more regular basis.

For a preview see image below:

I hope that you agree with me that the newly designed site looks fantastic! A very big thank you to Jen from all at KRAG for both designing these pages and making the necessary changes to our server.

Lee Brady
KRAG Chairman

Posted at 08:41 am    

Tue - February 12, 2008

First 2008 Adder Record from Kent?

Kent has had a few spring like days recently. I was up on the downs at Trosley in the middle of last week with Bill Whitaker and Diasy Truckle and was getting positively hot in the bright sunshine, but despite it being a good reptile site we found nothing. Anyhow, we did at least arrange the refuges for this year’s monitoring. Daisy will be including reptiles when she does her butterfly survey.

Daisy (KCC) and Bill (KRAG) planning a refuge survey for the reptiles at Trosley Country Park

But better luck today. I was on the downs behind Otford with Richard Jones and on a south facing, and very sunny, slope there was large male adder. This was basking on a grassland/woodland margin and made off into the woods at speed; but not before I managed to get a photo. You will see that it has the typical muddy appearance of an adder that has just emerged from hibernation.

A large male adder just out of hibernation with a typically muddy skin.

Adders also look a bit like this before they are about to slough but such adders can be told apart as they have milky rather than clear bright eyes. If the weather turns cold again then this adder would be expected to recommence hibernation.


Rick Hodges

Posted at 10:01 am    

Fri - February 8, 2008

Proposal for Expansion of Lydd Airport

Lydd Airport is surrounded by some of the most protected natural habitats in the UK. The runway is enclosed by a Site of Special Scientist Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), designated to protect the flora and fauna on vegetated shingle, abuts one side of the runway, and a Special Protection Area (SPA), which was established to protect rare birds, is close by. No matter which group you speak to, onithologists, entomologists, botanists etc, the unique habitat at Dungeness is of special importance to them, no less so to KRAG, for the nationally important population of Great Crested Newts which is cited as a reason for the SAC designation.

The Airport's development will have an adverse impact on the protected habitats at Dungeness, directly through the loss of land and indirectly via air, noise and light pollution - particularly the former. The protected vegetated shingle habitat at Dungeness, which is a globally rare habitat, is very low in nutrients and therefore vulnerable to enrichment from Nitrogen oxides from air pollution. The owners of the airport are seeking planning permission for a runway extension based on 300,000 passengers per annum and for a new terminal based on 500,000 passengers per annum. The airport's true goal, which is openly expressed in the two planning applications, is to achieve passenger numbers of 2 million passengers per annum by 2015. Should the plans be approved new infrastructure will have to be built i.e. roads, car parks, housing etc resulting in further losses and degradation to the area.

The two councils responsible for the area (Lydd and Romney town councils) held a referendum on this issue which was rejected 2 to 1 by 3,350 voters. The councils have delayed making their decision on the applications and have requested further ecological information. I was gladdened by this, but felt that it was such an important issue that there should be a way for the wider community to express thier opinion on the matter, so I created a petition on 10 Downing Street's website calling for the Prime minister to block the proposal should the local councils accept it. In order for the petition to receive a ministerial response it needs to attract over 200 signatures, to date it has 169. The petition closes on 23rd May 2008 and can be found at:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Lydd-Expansion/

The Lydd Airport Action Group also have a petition at:

http://petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=3729

Their website has a lot of information on the development plans and other ways to oppose the development.

Please take a couple of minutes to sign both petitions.

Tony Witts

Posted at 12:40 pm    

Sun - February 3, 2008

Tue - January 22, 2008

Fri - January 18, 2008

2007 Chairman's Report

First of all I would like to wish all of the KRAG folks a very Happy 2008! I would also like to thank The Committee and all of our members for the outstanding commitment that has helped to make 2007 yet another successful year for KRAG.

Although personal circumstances meant that my own contributions to the group were rather limited for the first half of the year, over recent weeks I have taken on the task of updating the KRAG database so that it can better serve the demanding needs of practical herpetofauna conservation both today and in future years. And yes, working on the database is the reason why I have not been posting entries on the blog recently!

The database now holds over 14,600 Kent records. Although this seems like a very large number of observations, there is still a tremendous amount of work still to do. Nearly 70% of the county remains unrecorded. For example, of the thousands of great crested newt ponds that we believe are likely to occur, we only have records from 382 of them. The database has allowed us to identify key sites for both amphibians and reptiles. Currently, seven such sites have been designated for reptiles, with a further ten sites proposed.

 

Although no amphibian sites have yet been designated, available data suggests that at least 16 sites should be given immediate consideration. With additional survey work undertaken by KRAG members, information on other important sites can be collected and further designations will surely follow.

Our two flagship projects – Adders in Decline and Great Crested Newt Monitoring - continue to collect important information. The results of the Adders in Decline Project have helped in the production of a new leaflet that highlights the conservation status of the adder. During 2007, KRAG was also able to offer training to volunteers involved with the National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS).

Information on all of these activities has been published in our excellent newsletter and much of it will soon be available on KRAG’s newly redesigned web site.

Here’s looking forward to a year full of activities and many new records!

Thank you all once again,

Lee Brady
KRAG Chairman

Posted at 08:31 am    

Tue - October 23, 2007

Mon - October 22, 2007

ARG UK SE Regional Conference 2007

Come and celebrate the 20th birthdays of both Sussex and Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Groups!

Don't miss out on the event of the year! This will be a great day, at a prestigious venue, with something to interest every one interested in amphibians and reptiles. Keynote speaker is Mark Amey, who, amongst many other remarkable achievements, has been working on 'Life in Cold Blood' with David Attenborough - due to be broadcast in Spring 2008.

Just £12.00 including refreshments and lunch (£5.00 unwaged).

Download a printable copy of the programme.

Download a flyer with booking information.

Rick Anstis
Secretary Surrey ARG

Posted at 06:28 pm    

Wed - October 17, 2007

In the Eye of a Very Mild Breeze

I'm sure some of you will have now read the 'news' item that was recently published in BBC Wildlife Magazine concerning estimates of great crested newt. The article appears to be an attempt to generate a story, where none really exists. Before explaining why I believe that the article is flawed I thought that it would be useful to provide a little background.

Back in 2006 I presented a talk at the Herpetofauna Workers Meeting entitled 'How Many Great Crested Newt Ponds are there in Kent?'. The summary for this talk is reproduced below:

"The great crested newt is believed to be experiencing a national population decline greater than that of the other widespread amphibian species. In Kent the species remains relatively widespread, displaying a county distribution that appears to be dependent upon pond density. Surveying for newts is labour intensive and requires multiple pond visits to reliably confirm presence/likely absence. Assessment of newt populations using simple counts is problematic due to variation in detection rate between ponds and observers. Habitat proxies are increasingly being used to predict the likely presence of great crested newt. This study collected habitat proxy data using a published Habitat Suitability Index. Ponds were ranked based on apparent quality and surveyed to determine the relationship between predicted and actual presence. "

The talk illustrated how occupancy data can be used in conjunction with information on the number of ponds to make predictions on how many of Kent's ponds are likely to be occupied by gcn. The process is really quite straightforward.

1. How is gcn occupancy influenced by pond quality?
2. How many ponds are there?



1. How is GCN Occupancy Influenced by Pond Quality?

The likely presence of great crested newt in a pond can be predicted using a published Habitat Suitability Index (HSI):

Oldham, R. S., Keeble, J., Swan, M. J. S. and Jeffcote, M. (2000) Evaluating the suitability of habitat for the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus). Herpetological Journal, 10, 143-155.

The HSI has previously been discussed on the blog and I have also prepared a summary of how the HSI can be applied elsewhere, but it is probably worth repeating some of the main points here.

The likely presence of great crested newt in a pond can be predicted by examining aquatic habitat features such as the presence of fish, waterfowl and water quality.

For ponds these data are used to calculate a HSI. The HSI is represented by a number from 0 to 1, the higher the number the more likely the pond is to be occupied by great crested newt. In order to help with the interpretation of a pond's HSI, ponds are classified with a description that is based on their apparent suitability for great crested newt. Thus:

It means a heck of a lot more to a landowner when you explain the likely presence of gcn in English rather than gobbledegook!

By undertaking detailed survey work in a large number of ponds across SE England I have found that ponds with relatively high HSI scores (good - excellent) frequently support great crested newt. Indeed, great crested newt have been recorded in more than 90% of the surveyed 'excellent' ponds! The relationship between HSI and actual presence is illustrated below:

Note also that although gcn are rarely encountered in ponds with very low HSI scores, they do sometimes occur.

By looking at a large number of ponds, I have also been able to estimate the proportion of ponds with each of the different quality ratings. For example, while 24% of ponds are likely to be 'poor', only 12% of ponds will be 'excellent'.

The overall % of ponds likely to support gcn will therefore be:

(available poor ponds x occupied poor ponds) +
.... +
(available excellent ponds x occupied excellent ponds)

For gcn I have generated an overall occupancy of 44%. This means that gcn will be present in almost half of the county's ponds! However, do consider that this is a county average. In some areas (e.g. countryside around Iwade), gcn occupy almost all suitable ponds. In other areas gcn may not be present at all, even in 'excellent' ponds. The presence of gcn in suitable ponds will largely be determined by the newt's local population status. A pond can be top notch quality, but if gcn are simply not present in the local area they may not have been able to colonise. Conversely, low quality ponds can be occupied, especially when they are situated close to another pond that already supports the species.

I also suggest that although a pond may be occupied by gcn, the amphibians may not necessarily breed there. My own survey work indicates that breeding success is more likely in ponds that are rated as 'good' or 'excellent'. The implications of this are that although gcn may occupy 44% of the county's ponds, they may only successfully breed in 27% of them.


2. How Many Ponds Are There?

In Kent, information on the number of ponds has been published by Kent County Council (KCC) and is freely available through the Kent Landscape Information System. From the website:

"The purpose of the K-LIS website is to enable better informed decision-making by providing detailed information on Kent's landscape and biodiversity. Primarily aimed at landowners, farm advisors and those involved in land use planning, the website also acts as a useful information source to members of the public. This site contains details on countryside access, landscape character, identifies opportunities for habitat creation and landscape restoration, the physical environment including soils and geology, the Kent habitat survey as well as areas designated for their conservation value."

The Kent and Medway Biological Records Centre have very kindly analysed this data on my behalf and suggested that there may be more than 41,000 ponds in Kent. Wow!

So, how many great crested newt ponds are there in Kent? Some simple maths:

41,000 ponds x 44% occupancy = 18,000 occupied ponds

That is an enormous number of occupied gcn ponds. However, as I very carefully explained during my talk at the Herpetofauna Workers Meeting, this is a preliminary finding and subject to verification. During the talk the audience were specifically told not to quote the figure due to concerns over the validity of the KCC pond count. What are those concerns? Look at the map below:

It is apparent that there are a large number of waterbodies on Romney Marshes, North Kent Marshes and North East Kent Marshes. These waterbodies are almost certainly ditches and drains - not ponds. Great crested newt can (and do!) breed in ditches and drains. However, the HSI was not developed for use on these waterbodies and does not take account of habitat features that may be unique to these linear waterbodies. For example, ditches often contain flowing water that could wash away gcn larvae. Ditches may also form an interconnected system that is seasonally flooded with brackish water and/or fish. The Kent pond data should more accurately be called Kent pond + ditches/drains data. At the present time it is unclear what impact this will have on the actual pond count. However, one thing is obvious: 41,000 ponds is an overestimate.


Some Conclusions

1. Kent is one of the best surveyed counties in the country and the amphibian survey data collected by KRAG volunteers is a tremendously useful resource.

2. Survey data has enabled me to estimate overall occupancy of ponds by great crested newt. As new data comes in estimates of occupancy may change a little. However, based on available information I predict that 44% of Kent's ponds are occupied by gcn.

3. GCN will not successfully breed in all occupied ponds. The loss of a single 'excellent' pond could therefore lead to the loss of gcn from several other lower quality ponds that are situated nearby.

4. Very few counties have detailed habitat data. Kent is extremely fortunate that KCC have funded a wide-ranging habitat survey. Data from this survey is currently used to inform conservation, management and planning across the county.

5. There are concerns over the accuracy of the Kent pond data. The quoted figure of 41,000 ponds is likely to be an overestimate. However, the actual number of ponds is considered to be in the same order of magnitude. Even if the inclusion of ditches and drains has doubled the current pond estimate, that still represents a tremendous number of ponds. Kent is probably one of the most import reservoirs of freshwater habitat in the country.

6. The KCC pond data may be inaccurate, but it is all we have. At this time I would prefer not to quote the figure of 18,000 occupied ponds for gcn in Kent. Yet this estimate remains valid based on the existing KCC dataset.

7. While any estimate of the numbers of a species are likely to have margins of error, I would urge KCC to consider reanalysing the Kent pond data so that we can make a revised and hopefully more accurate estimate of the number of gcn occupied ponds.



Next up, I will review the BBC Wildlife article and explain why I believe this particular journalist got things so wrong.


Lee Brady
KRAG Chairman

Posted at 10:28 am    

Sun - October 14, 2007

Unusual Lizards at Folkestone Warren

There have been reports of 'unusually marked lizards' from the area around Folkestone for several years now. In May 2007, Julian Russell and Nigel Jarman discovered the truth...

As many readers of the blog will be aware, I have been keenly following the history of Kent's sand lizard. I have previously posted a summary of our current knowledge. There are two records for Folkestone Warren (1967) and a single record for Sandgate (1969). The latter is a verified record of a juvenile sand lizard that was observed by Keith Corbett.

In 1995, Anne Riddell visited Copt Point (just along the coast from the Warren) and recorded an unusually marked lizard. Anne was convinced that the animal was not a viviparous lizard. Could this have been one of the elusive sand lizards? Anne's description of the animal is as follows:

"Size of adult common lizard, tail shed at junction with body. Body and head stockier than common lizard.
Colouration: dorsal - brown
flanks and legs - apple green
flanks and belly - marbled (not spotted) cream and black, exactly like grass snake.

Hunting actively in grass tussocks for insects seen at 12” distance."


In 2004, another report was received from friends of Sean Hanna. This time the animal was seen at the top of the Warren. Sean reported the following:

"As promised, I have quizzed my friends who thought they saw a sand lizard in Folkestone. They thought it was too large to be a common lizard and that it was the wrong colour."


KRAG members have made several visits to the area (some examples are documented here: 6/9/04, 16/9/04, 24/9/04 & 30/9/04). However, the habitat around the Warren does not look particularly appealing for sand lizards and although viviparous lizard, slow-worm and adder have all been recorded, sand lizard observations remain elusive. Over the years Eric Philp has also attempted to track the beasts down, but without success.

There has been a suggestion that the Folkestone Warren records may originate from a failed introduction. But did the introduction really involve sand lizards? Back in 1996 Phil Shore told me an interesting story:

"Also I remember Lee mentioning large green lizards at Folkestone. Alan Cooper -the Burnt Oak Wood warden told me a number of Wall Lizards were released there by a pet shop owner who was unable to sell them. Given the unusually mild micro climate of the site it is possible the lizards are still there."


So, could the Folkestone mystery animals really be wall lizards? In our hunt for sand lizards we have tended to search the top of the Warren and there is one specific area lower down that has not been adequately surveyed. Earlier this year Julian Russell and Nigel Jarman visited the Warren and may just have solved the mystery:

"Having been alerted to the presence of green spotted lizards at [Folkestone Warren] by Peter Harnett via Nigel Jarman on Thursday 3rd May (Peter thought they might be Sand Lizard although views brief) I checked the site at lunchtim (1.00-1.15) on Tuesday 8th May and found three Wall lizard sunning themselves. A number of photos taken before they sun went in and the lizard retreating under a yellow door, Nigel Jarman saw them later although they quickly disappeared when the sun went in. Fantastic to see these Lizards in Kent as I went to Bournemouth last year to look for them. Subsequent emails to Lee Brady inform me they were known to KRAG and had been present for 20 years!! The cafe owner was please someone was taking interest in 'her' lizards - she said they had been there at least 5 year but she didnot know where them came from. She also said she had had adders in her cafe and in the ladies toilets which she just picked up with a litter picker and release unharmed.

Nice to see such a positive attitude."

Julian was also kind enough to email me the following photos. Well done to all and what a fantastic find!

In order to protect the site I have not identified the exact location of these observations. However, if you do visit Folkestone and see an unusually marked lizard please do let me know!


Lee Brady
KRAG Chairman

Posted at 12:27 pm    

Thu - September 27, 2007

Here we go again...

BBC News is reporting that a population of endangered newts are [sic] being relocated to make way for the Olympic Park in east London.

From the article:

"Work is being undertaken to catch great crested newts living near the Eastway Cycle Circuit in Stratford which is to be transformed into the Velopark."

And here is the photograph used in the article to illustrate one of the protected newts. Oh dear....

Lee Brady
KRAG Chairman

Posted at 04:03 pm