Since we made a pond just a couple of months ago we have been surprised how quickly smooth newts have colonized the pond.

This has got me thinking about how newts disperse and new ponds are colonized.

I often hear from people about newts found in gardens far from any apparent breeding pond.

This has made me wonder if newts are dispersing into the wider countryside and many live entirely terrestrial lives until they happen upon a suitable water body. (It seems from our garden visitors that they were likely to have been already living in the garden before the pond was constructed)

I was wondering if anyone has observations to support/disprove this idea or what papers have been written regarding juvenile newt dispersal and colonization of new water bodies.