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Habitat creation |
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Peter
Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 310 |
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Posted: 15 Jul 2013 at 1:40pm |
Having recently discovered a road kill gravid grass snake I thought I would cheer myself up by sharing some positive news. I have been involved with a fair amount habitat creation recently, 19 sites in total last winter. Here is the an overview of one of them. The site is privately owned, and well positioned to improve connectivity. The target species for this project are the common toad and grass snake. Seven ponds were planned, three aimed specifically at toads with a south facing bank planned to run the entire span of the three toad ponds (top three in the first image) constructed from the spoil. The field will be cut annually and all rush and meadow cuttings utilised to create ovipositing sites for grass snakes. The trees to the left of the toad ponds form a windbreak, resulting in a sheltered pond-side sun trap. The combination of increased amphibian populations, increased foraging and basking opportunities and egg laying sites will hopefully attract grass snakes. Above, ponds plan. Below, creating a south facing bank behind the newly created toad ponds. Three much shallower pools were also created at the edge of woodland. These were created to increase breeding habitat for frogs as well as a soil covered log/brash/hibernacula. The works were completed on the 25th of february 2013. We visited the site on May the 13th to place refugia and check on the progress of the ponds. Below is an image of the frog pools and hibernacula taken on the May the 13th visit. Each of the three frog pools were abundant with well developed frog tadpoles, and one of them had a few toad tadpoles also which was a nice surprise. We placed a few refugia in likely spots to begin surveying for grass snakes as can be seen as in the next image. The toad ponds can be seen in the background as well as the south facing bank.
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BLF Dragonscapes Habitats officer
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation e: peter.hill@arc-trust.org |
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Peter
Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 310 |
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Next we set off to check the three toad ponds. I was very pleased and quite surprised to discover that toads had spawned in number in all three of the ponds that had been designed specifically for them! The tadpoles were quite well developed, so it being May the 13th and the ponds only having been completed on February the 25th, then the animals must have utilized ponds that were only six weeks old in which to spawn. Two days after our visit, the landowner spotted a snake (presumably a grass snake) swimming across one of the frog pools. I am looking forward to the next visit to the site. There are other encouraging stories relating to other habitat connectivity projects including adders already utilizing habitat created last winter and great crested newts being found in a ponds created in December. I will update as and when. :)
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BLF Dragonscapes Habitats officer
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation e: peter.hill@arc-trust.org |
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Iowarth
Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Status: Offline Points: 743 |
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Hi Pete
Great stuff - wonderful to see all this happening - and bringing results so quickly. Chris |
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Chris Davis, Site Administrator
Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme (RETIRED) |
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Peter
Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 310 |
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Thanks Chris, in the case of the project described above, I think that the toads encountered the new ponds on their way to their traditional spawning site (which is at least 2km further afield) and decided to stay put. It is very encouraging to see how quickly certain sites are being utilized, across the spectrum of the widespread species.
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BLF Dragonscapes Habitats officer
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation e: peter.hill@arc-trust.org |
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tim hamlett
Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1062 |
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nice one peter. great to see your hard work paying off so quickly. bring on the grasses!
tim
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Peter
Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 310 |
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Thanks Tim I am especially looking forward to monitoring this site. Apart from the biodiversity friendly landowner`s presence it is completely undisturbed. I am hoping that amphibian populations will increase substantially. The ongoing management agreement of the surrounding habitat includes creating a choice of large and unmolested potential ovipositing sites, and I dream of what the grass snake population may be there in 5 years time.
4km across country from the site is another, at which we did very similar stuff last winter i.e, a series of ponds, some especially large "Huglekultur" hibernation mounds, a hectare of spruce regen removed (just about in time for the heather and molinia mosaic beneath it to breathe again) and south facing windrows created. Also undisturbed, also privately owned by ecologically aware people. All four widespread reptile species are present, two grass snakes recorded last month very close to the new pond network, an adder also recorded moving through/investigating one of the Huglemounds. An abundance of frogs are close to morphing in the new ponds. I`ll post more about this site soon, but for now here`s a pic of frog tadpoles a few months ago at the edge of one of the new ponds - (next post)
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BLF Dragonscapes Habitats officer
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation e: peter.hill@arc-trust.org |
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Peter
Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 310 |
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BLF Dragonscapes Habitats officer
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation e: peter.hill@arc-trust.org |
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Robert V
Senior Member Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1264 |
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Maybe with projects such as these the outlook is a bit better than we'd thought in the last few years
Rob
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RobV
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PondDragon
Senior Member Joined: 15 Jul 2013 Status: Offline Points: 55 |
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This looks like an interesting site - good to see a range of ponds put in together. I have a question about the mowing - apart from maintaining the open conditions and providing material for the egg laying sites, what is the purpose of cutting annually (rather than e.g. some some kind of rotation)? Are there any animals grazing, or just the mowing, and what time of year is it cut?
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Peter
Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 310 |
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Thanks for the encouraging words Rob :) Keep your fingers crossed for me that we secure further funding to continue "Reconnecting South Wales` Dragons" next Winter
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BLF Dragonscapes Habitats officer
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation e: peter.hill@arc-trust.org |
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