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Snakes, Coroline, onduline and I |
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Noodles
Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 534 |
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Posted: 06 Jan 2011 at 3:17pm |
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I have come to the conclusion (not solely) that Onduline is the best material for surveying snake sites. Having said that it is bloomin' expensive compared to say tin. I have found Coroline for a couple of quid less per sheet, but have never used it or read of it being used, although i'm sure a more dedicated herpetophile than I has. The manufacture's notes inform me that the fundamental difference is the thickness (2.6mm compared to 3mm Onduline). Presumably this would affect its heat retention properties but to what degree? Has anyone used it? Does anyone know where to get the cheapest Onduline/Coroline or is the information privileged (like the generosity of my local bottle bank)? Has anyone noted the minimum size sheet for attracting snakes or a wallet friendly compromise (assuming the bigger the sheet the better) Cheers P.S. is anyone else itching to get out to the heath and mire. Happy new year on the 1st of January! I don't think so, i'll be saving me bunting and party poppers for March thank you very much! |
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administrator
Admin Group Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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I rate onduline too for snakes, it never fails to produce lizards either which tin can be very very poor for. One sheet of Onduline, cut in three is about the right size to handle for us and right to produce animals. Not too small to not be attractive, not too large that it is difficult to lift or spot all the animals.
Generally we source the sheets through builders merchants and cut ourselves. |
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Noodles
Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 534 |
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Thanks for that Gemma. Have you tried Coroline and if so how do you rate it? Cheers |
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administrator
Admin Group Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Status: Offline Points: 10 |
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I've not purchased Coroline, but I have used it in the field while working under another consultancy. It's 'OK' in terms of producing animals, but I found it broke up more easily than Onduline. It might therefore be a false economy if it falls apart during recovery and isn't useable again. Though to be fair I don't know just how old this stuff was as it wasn't me that placed. Just didn't seem as good.
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herpetologic2
Forum Coordinator Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1511 |
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I have been using recycled plastic sheets made from the
left over or damaged sections of reptile exclusion fencing I have never really rated Onduline in my experience - I tend to prefer a mixture of materials - hardboard, tin, felt and now recycled plastic sheets. Jon |
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administrator
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I can't imagine why you wouldn't rate Onduline Jon.
We have excellent results for all four widespread species and all lifestages. Highest count of lizards 'on' Onduline was 22. Our 'record' for capture using Onduline was less than a minute.. a common lizard on the M20 started basking on a sheet whilst I was laying the rest of the row. It's also the only material I've regularly had a 'full house' of the widespread species under and the only material I've used that will produce a 'quick' show of adder. (In quick I mean about a month after it was laid, compared to over 18 months at times for tin) The only time I now use other materials is for slow worm. They love ordinary inexpensive roofing felt. So we double up with it if we have slow worm on site. We did once trial Onduline against tin on a large mitigation of common lizards. Onduline 320 captures.. Tin 1 ... It's also extremely rare to find fatalities under Onduline, though I have seen a fair few animals 'cooked' under tin. The only criticism I've ever heard regarding the product is it is 'cheap' compared to tin and hence why favoured by some consultancies. I'm glad to say my experience with the product proved to me that is not the case at all. It is favoured because it delivers results. Edited by GemmaJF |
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Matt Harris
Senior Member Joined: 03 Jun 2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 233 |
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I wish more consultants would use Coroline and Onduline. I'm fed up of getting reports where they've put down 50cm x 50cm sheets of roofing felt and after a couple of months pronounce that there are no adders, grass snakes or common lizards on the site.
Saying that, I've got a bunch or Onduline sheets on an adder site and they studiously avoid them; not one adder in 5 years even though they're quite happy to sit a few feet away. |
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herpetologic2
Forum Coordinator Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1511 |
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I don't rate it as it isn't that effective (in past
experience) or at least I can survey with tin recycled plastic, wooden boards and visual searches and get the results I need without the use of corrugated felt tiles. Reptiles will use pretty much anything which gives warmth, cooling and shelter. Discarded rubbish and other materials can also produce reptiles. I imagine it has a lot to do where you place ACO's and I also agree that ACO's for adders tend to be less effective than visual surveys. There are times when small pieces of felt is necessary for example in a very public area where you need to hide ACOs. I have 20 pieces of felt at a local churchyard my record number of reptiles is 152 under these most are slow-worms. I know a well known former employee of HCT who is now 3 years into his consultancy work who is advocating using smaller pieces of felt - less than 0.25m2!!! |
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Noodles
Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 534 |
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I have to say I don't generally encounter snakes under
roofers? felt, other than perhaps occasional juveniles/immatures (although I?m probably doing something wrong?). I do like tin and I can get hold of the old stuff from me local tinker much cheaper than Onduline. The problem is I like checking refugia for slow-worm (and perhaps C. Lizard) on slightly cooler, overcast days (when I can survey all day and still get excellent results). In these conditions tin seems to become too cold and doesn't cut the mustard for me. Clearly I would not expect to find many snakes in such conditions but I do like to make the most of our all too brief herping calendar, so I require a good all round material suitable for surveying all the 'common or widespread' species under a range of differing weather conditions. I like the idea of using fence off cuts, although I have never used them myself, or board for that matter. I frequently find reptiles under such dumped materials though. I did once use the laminated wooden doors and panels from my rebuffed kitchen units. The result was slow-worm initially but then a high humidity built up (due to the cool and non-porous laminate no doubt), the grass turned to slush and the toads and GCNs moved in and the slow-worms out. Either that or the ants decided to build their labyrinthine cities beneath. One of the best materials I used were off cuts from an old half inch thick, fibre reinforced industrial rubber belt drive that I found in a defunct aggregates quarry. Fantastic stuff for reptiles and amphibians (it had amazing heat retention and distribution qualities in that the underside was never overly hot). The rubber residue didn't half used to cake my hands and clothes though. I must have smelt like the Michelin man?s underpants. Having said all that I am much in favour of a mixture of cheap and recycled materials. It is often better not to over engineer a possible solution and focus, intuition, confidence and high expectations in your own methods are key to finding such cryptic animals, i think. Cheers for your comments |
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Mark_b
Senior Member Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 155 |
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The raw data from my research masters from April -October 2010. 37 arrays of coroline, tin and felt (100 x 67cm) spread 10m apart (Reading's method)- over approx 0.31 ha. Surveyed 3 days a week, morning, midday and afternoon/evening.
I will be able to provide more details in a few months I personally think its a good idea to have a range of different types of refugia.
edit/// No slow-worms on site Edited by Mark_b |
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