Derbyshire Amphibian and Reptile Group

About us

About Us

Welcome to Derbyshire Amphibian and Reptile Group we cover the whole of Derbyshire including part of the Peak District National Park.

Our group aims to promote the study and conservation of the amphibians and reptiles of Derbyshire and their habitats. We achieve this by:

raising awareness of the ecology and conservation needs of Derbyshire's amphibians and reptiles
undertaking practical conservation projects
running approximately 20 Toads on Road patrols at locations across the county every spring during the toad migration season
carrying out regular reptile surveys and amphibian surveys
organising amphibian and reptile training sessions for members and the public
providing advice and information and answering queries for the public
developing recording, monitoring and research intitatives
providing a forum for those interested in amphibians and reptiles
working in partnership with other relevant organisations

We hope our website will help you to find the information you are looking for, but if you still have a query, please contact us and we will do our best to help.

Derbyshire ARG always welcome new members to the group, please email us on derbyshirearg@gmail.com to join. There is a membership subscription of £5 per year, though that is reviewed at every AGM..

We are very grateful for any records of amphibians and reptiles in your local area that you can pass to us as it helps in mapping the distribution of species and protecting their known habitats. Either contact us directly or use the Record a sighting tab on this website.

The group is run by a committee which is elected at the AGM each year. For 2020 - 2021 the committee elected at the AGM on 29th February 2020 are:

Chair - Kelvin Lawrence, Vice Chair - Christian Murray-Leslie, Secretary - Chris Monk, Treasurer - Jayne Thompson
Committee members - Richard Fenn Griffin, James Longley, Emily Major, Sheila Stubbs, Trevor Taylor

Kelvin Lawrence is also the Derbyshire Toad Crossings Co-ordinator for the Group & for Froglife and Richard Fenn Griffen covers membership and data protection

See a previous newsletters here

January_2021_DARG_newsletter_31.pdf

August_2020_DerbyshireARG_newsletter.pdf

February_2020_DARG_Events_newsletter.pdf

DARG_April_2019_newsletter.pdf

DARG_January_2019_newsletter.pdf

Derbyshire ARG data policy

DARG_data_protection_policy_November_2018.pdf

News

DARG Activities 2021

Posted on Monday 22nd February, 2021

Derbyshire ARG will be deciding at its next committee meeeting at the end of February on what activities can be organised this year depending on Government guidance and regulation relating to the Covid-19 pandemic

All events this summer cancelled

Posted on Saturday 16th May, 2020

With the news that the Derbyshire Woodland Festival in late September will not now go ahead all our public engagement events across Derbyshire this summer have been cancelled due to the restrictions around the coronavirus pandemic. At the present time all other group activities such as surveys are suspended until such time as restrictions are amended and group gatherings of people in the open are allowed.

Updated Derbyshire ARG Coronavirus statement (COVID-19)

Posted on Tuesday 24th March, 2020

Derbyshire ARG

Toads on Roads: Change to Coronavirus Guidance

Further to our recent communication regarding toad patrolling during the Coronavirus emergency, there has been a change in government advice to restrict all but essential movement. The Group no longer feels we can continue with toad patrols whilst this restriction is in place, so we are instructing that this activity should cease with immediate effect.

Thanks to all for your support, and we hope to be back rescuing toads again next spring.

For more information please see https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Take care and stay safe,

Kelvin Lawrence

Chair and Toad Crossings Coordinator, Derbyshire Amphibian & Reptile Group

& Derbyshire Area Coordinator for Froglife

23rd March 2020

Derbyshire ARG Coronavirus (Covid-19) Statement

Posted on Wednesday 18th March, 2020

Derbyshire ARG -Coronavirus Memorandum

As a group we have always, and will always, put the health, safety and welfare of people involved or affected by our activities first, ahead of any other considerations.

We are at present in the busy toad migration season, and most of our toad patrols are currently active or standing by. It is the group's considered opinion that it is possible for volunteers to comply with current government advice regarding social distancing whilst on toad patrol, and so we are continuing to rescue toads and other amphibians from road traffic, although no-one should feel obligated to do so. Please do not attend a patrol if you are in isolation or are feeling unwell or if you fall in the high-risk groups (over 70 years old or have pre-existing health problems).

Individuals should regularly review government advice (see link below) and assess their own vulnerability before they choose to go out on toad patrol. Please keep up to date as government advice is likely to change before the toad patrols have finished. Please also continue to follow all our guidelines, policies and procedures, and contact your coordinator if you have any questions.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-forvulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-olderpeople-and-vulnerable-adults

The Group will take a view on participation in future events and activities in due course. It is likely that some public events that the Group have planned to attend will be cancelled. We may be able to run some surveys this spring and summer.

Take care and stay safe,

Kelvin Lawrence

Chair and Toad Crossings Coordinator, Derbyshire Amphibian & Reptile Group

& Derbyshire Area Coordinator for Froglife

17th March 2020

Pond task at Brassington

Posted on Saturday 22nd February, 2020

Together with the village environment group we ran a working party to help remove a garden escape from the Middle Lane pond in Brassington. The pond, which has 3 rare water plants as well as water shrew, frog and smooth newt, was being taken over by vigorous growth of a variegated form of Glyceria maxima. After a previous working party by the village group, we joined them to try and remove as much of the plant and its roots as possible. Although there will be regrowth especially along the walled edge where it was almost impossible to remove the roots, it will have greatly reduced the density of this plant in the coming year. A few early frogs were found in the pond but spawning still hasn't happened yet in the Peak District.

P1010792 Working Party 22.02.20 P1010793 View after work 22.02.20

Events

Past Events

Show Upcoming Events

PondNet Amphibian Survey training

Sun 9th April, 2017

Freshwater Habitats Trust will be holding an amphibian training session in Derby to recruit volunteers to go and carry out the PondNet Common Toad & Frog survey on their own self-selected ponds in Derbyshire. If you have a favourite pond and you would like to get to know the amphibians that live there then sign up today for FREE Amphibian ID Training.

The training course will be run by Anne Heathcote, FHT Project Officer for Northern England

The course is on Sunday 9th April 2017 at Sinfin Moor Local Nature Reserve in Derby, places are limited so for further details and to book a place contact the Project Officer at aheathcote@freshwaterhabitats.org.uk

Great Crested Newt Survey Training Course

Sat 13th May, 2017 - Sun 14th May, 2017

Training course open to everyone. This will be held at a venue near Derby starting with an indoor session on Saturday morning on GCN Ecology, Survey Methods and Biosecurity. An afternoon field session will be held at a nearby great crested newt site to undertake survey techniques including netting, egg search and water sampling for GCN eDNA determination, followed by setting bottle traps. A Saturday evening torchlight survey will be held on site followed by a final session on Sunday morning to examine the bottle trap catch.

Course fees are £5.00 for Derbyshire ARG members (as at 1 January 2017); £25.00 for other attendees.

For more details and to book a place email us at Derbyshirearg@gmail.com

Newt Survey

Wed 17th May, 2017

Evening torch-light survey at locations to be confirmed (sites within a few miles of Matlock)

Contact Derbyshirearg@gmail.com for details

GCN eDNA sampling and bottle trapping survey

Sat 20th May, 2017

Location: In the Peak National Park approximately half way between Buxton and Ashbourne

Time: 2.30pm to 5.00pm

We will be undertaking a visit to carry out eDNA water sampling for Freshwater Habitats Trust's PondNet Project in a large field pond in the projects random sample square in the Peak District north of Hartington that we first visited for them last year. Apart from taking the water sample, this will include completing the project's environmental assessment form for the pond and carrying out their Clean Water for Wildlife test for nitrate & phosphate levels in the pond water.

This will be followed by setting bottle traps for the first survey since 1985 of a farm field pond a few miles away near Newhaven, where a single great crested newt was recorded in 1985. The traps will be checked on Sunday morning though attendance then is not compulsory.

For more details, including locations and meeting places email us at Derbyshirearg@gmail.com

Torchlight newt survey

Tue 23rd May, 2017

Evening torch-light survey at 2 sites at Cromford (a few miles south of Matlock) for annual monitoring of smooth & great crested newts

Contact Derbyshirearg@gmail.com for details

Torchlight newt survey

Tue 30th May, 2017

Evening torch-light survey at a site on the edge of the Hope Valley between Castleton and Bradwell for annual monitoring of palmate & smooth newts

Contact Derbyshirearg@gmail.com for details

Reptile survey near Hassop in the Peak Park

Sat 26th August, 2017

Morning visit at 9am subject to reasonable weather to a field survey site where we have had a variety of reptile survey cover objects out since the surveys commenced in 2015 near Hassop. Duration approx 2 hours. The surveys are assisting the Peak National Park Authority with the management of the area. Common lizard and slow-worms have been found there in previous years.

Please email the secretary at derbyshirearg@gmail.com to book a place and find out details about meeting place. NOTE that this is a very steep site and you have to climb over a stock fence (with barbed wire) to access the two plots, so you need to be fit and agile to attend.

Reptile Survey near Cromford

Sat 9th September, 2017

Morning visit subject to reasonable weather to a field survey site near Cromford where we have had a variety of reptile survey cover objects out for a couple of years. The surveys are assisting the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust with the management of the area. Grass snakes and slow-worms have been found there in previous years. 9.30am start, duration approximately 2 hours.

Please email the secretary at derbyshirearg@gmail.com to book a place and find out details about meeting place.

Derbyshire Woodland Festival

Sat 23rd September, 2017 - Sun 24th September, 2017

Once again Derbyshire ARG will have a stand at this popular weekend show organised by the County Council's Countryside Service at the wonderful Elvaston Castle Country Park just outside Derby. Come along and visit us, tell us about your sightings of amphibians and reptiles, learn more about them, colour in the ARGUK colouring sheets (for children of all ages). Entry free but car parking charge applies but using the poster voucher on our photo gallery you can get £1 off the parking charge. Open from 10am to 4pm both days

GCN Habitat work party

Sun 5th November, 2017

Work party to carry out various habitat management at Hilton Gravel Pits nature reseve including pond clearance of Typha, removing willow saplings and cutting back/felling trees and vegetation clearance. From 9.30 to 14.30, bonfire, sorry no fireworks but jacket potates provided instead. Meet at Willowpit Lane entrance, task leader Kelvin Lawrence. Let us know if you are coming to make sure enough potatoes are provided. derbyshirearg@gmail.com