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2019 Slow worms |
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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Posted: 17 Nov 2019 at 1:26pm |
The same two slowies as the 8th November seen again yesterday.
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Suz
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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A lovely sunny day but temps mainly in single figures. The same slowie under its cover and another of same size under another cover.
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Suz
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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I had a look under the covers again this morning as it was sunny. This is the same one that I saw yesterday, and in the same position. No more seen.
A while later I peeled back the black plastic on a compost heap and discovered this palmate newt. I photographed it from underneath the glass jar to show some of its spots. |
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Suz
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chubsta
Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2013 Location: Folkestone,Kent Status: Offline Points: 430 |
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Checked again today as it was a little warmer but just one juvenile frog. My covers don't see the sun at all this time of year so I may put some down in a different area next Spring
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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We had a short burst of sun here in East Devon this morning so I went out to inspect my covers. Found one small slowie, which I think would be a young of last year.
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Suz
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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We've had a lot of dim and wet days, not the best at this end of the year for slowies under covers here. If we get some sun and I'm around I will have a look. Like Chubsta's neighbour I suspect there are plenty hidden!
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Suz
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chubsta
Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2013 Location: Folkestone,Kent Status: Offline Points: 430 |
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Checked mine yesterday with none sighted at all, not really surprising though as the weather turned very cold last week with the first overnight frosts.
One nice thing is that I was speaking to a neighbour about hedgehogs a couple of days ago and he said he has had to stop turning over his compost heap because it is 'full of slow worms'!
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Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
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Not expecting to see anything i lifted the plastic off the top of the compost heap around 5.30 this afternoon and as i was bunging some fruit scraps in i spotted a solitary adult slow worm. However, in far too much of a hurry and pointing the camera in very dim light, i'm afraid i got the resultant Loch Ness monster/Bigfoot quality of photo! Didn't get a good look at it but a female i think. This late, i would have thought juvenile(s) more likely than an adult. Any updates from where you are Suzi, Chubsta, anyone...?? |
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Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
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Only May and this pond's getting choked already. First time i've seen a slow worm in (or rather on) it though....
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Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
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More often than not you can tell by the markings yes, but perhaps the best way is by looking at the size and shape of the head - much longer and larger in the male.
Males tend to be more uniform in colour, usually greyish or silvery with a blue belly, whereas females are typically brown or bronze with dark flanks and often with a thin dorsal stripe. The belly is much darker too. |
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