Wirral ARG (WiARG)

About us

About Us

Aim

The aim of this group is to understand and protect the amphibians and reptiles of the Wirral peninsular through organizing training, raising awareness, surveys, habitat management tasks and other conservation activities.

Background

The Wirral Peninsular has historically been habitat of Sand Lizard, Natterjack, Great Crested Newt, Common Frog, Common Toad, Smooth Newt, Palmate Newt, Common Lizard, Slow Worm and Grass Snake. However, developments in the 20th Century has seen species such as the Sand Lizard and Natterjack disappear. Status of other herps have been uncertain, the problem being linked to lack of survey effort and recording.

In 2018, preliminary surveys around Wallasey revealed many new and surprising records for amphibians and reptiles. This was part of the Cheshire & Wirral ARG. However, the size of this district with that county was a bit much, necessitating the formation of a new ARG for Wirral (WiARG) so more surveys and recording can be co-ordinated across this interesting penninsular.

Founding member and acting chair of WiARG, Tom Doherty-Bone, grew up on the Wirral and was frustrated by the lost herpetofauna species and limited opportunities to view the remaining herps in the area. Formation of this new ARG will create the opportunity for local residents in the Wirral to get involved with amphibian and reptile surveys and recording for both enjoyment of these wonderful animals and to aid in their conservation on the Wirral.

Activities

The itinerary for 2019 is presently being drawn up, confirmed activities including reptile surveys of the north Wirral coast and amphibian surverys and litter picking at ponds at Central Park Wallasey. Pond creation and monitoring is being planned for a local pocket park in New Brighton for 2019 into 2020. We are going to be involved with the Turtle Tally citizen science project. The possibility for visiting Natterjack sites, and other activities are also being looked into. Suggestions from members are welcomed.

Existing partnerships include the Wirral Ranger Service, the Friends of the North Wirral Coastal Park and Wirral Wildlife.

Committee

The present committee consists of: Thomas Doherty-Bone (chair); Jon Bielby (secretary); Frankie Bielby (treasurer); Mike Brown (senior adviser).

Membership

The membership fee for 2019-20 is £5, which goes toward conservation activities of the group, such as buying equipment. Payment can either be made in cash or paid through Paypal: paypal.me/WiARG

Membership cycle finishes each April.

Please get in contact if you wish to get involved.

News

Change of date for Red Rock Task

Posted on Monday 27th January, 2020

At request of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, we will be rescheduling the task day at Red Rocks Nature Reserve from the 2nd to the 23rd February. Apologies for the incovenience.

Starting on a new pond at Royden Park

Posted on Monday 27th January, 2020

Last Saturday a small group of us (three, incl. ranger Rosemary) started to clear the trees shading the pond across the entry road to the park. We were joined by Toby for an hour as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award. As a lot of the work was cutting up the brush and branches and turning them into a hibernaculum, and there is an observable difference in the pond. There is still more to be done, so we will be back again on the following Saturday (1st Feb) to keep at this and get more done. The more who can help the better as we need to make as big impact as possible before amphibians start moving to the ponds for breeding season. There will also be a task day on Tuesday the 11th February.

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Red Rock Scrub Clearance Day

Posted on Monday 27th January, 2020

On the 7th January, we met with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) on Red Rocks Nature Reserve, Hoylake-West Kirby to do some terrestrial habitat management. We removed woody vegetation encroaching on both sand dunes where Natterjack and Common Lizard bask, forage and over-winter, and on ponds where Natterjack and other amphibians breed. The brush was turned into wood chip by the grounds staff of the Royal Liverpool Golf Course, who actually own the land of Red Rock. Red Rock is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and so the CWT manage it on the golf course's behalf to ensure compliance. There is still plenty of work to be done (invasive sea buckthorn is starting to pop up) and we will be back on Sunday the 1st February to do more bits, including on the Natterjack ponds.

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Paypal set up to pay membership fees

Posted on Monday 23rd December, 2019

We have set up our bank account and membership subs can now be paid via PayPal at paypal.me/WiARG

As a reminder, its £5 per year, renewal April.

We plan to use member subs for equipment, other expenses for surveys, outreach and maybe socials and day trips to other places.

End of 2019 - share your records on the ARG's Record Pool

Posted on Monday 23rd December, 2019

We are rapidly seeing the end of 2019. I want to try something:

For all the herps you've seen around the Wirral, whether you've seen them with us or out and about, make sure to share this information on the ARG-UK's Record Pool. I am pleased to say when I have done this, it efficiently gets transcribed to the National Biodiversity Network and provides the crucial information for conserving our natural heritage. If you do share your findings, drop me an email (tommy_dbone@yahoo.com) so I can have a "see Smither's, I told him to do that" moment, but also to quantify the value of members sharing their own findings to this.

The website to do this is here https://www.recordpool.org.uk/index.php?option=com_records&view=records&layout=survey and if you need any help with how to enter your findings (species ID, georeferencing).

https://www.recordpool.org.uk/index.php?option=com_records&view=records&layout=survey&fbclid=IwAR1jUGYRG_9OpSvc-2KoJXnT_4cOpR8aBmWzg1j_ydC_rgEro5F9n45z3VE

Tom

Events

Show Past Events

Royden Park - pond management for Great Crested Newt

Sat 1st February, 2020

We will be clearing brush and smaller trees from shading the ponds by the entry road in preparation of the newt breeding season.

Meet by the Ranger's Office (just around the corner from the Cafe & Walled Garden).

Saturday the 1st February. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Bring warm clothes, water-proofs and wellies. Waders if you have them.

Biscuits provided and maybe a thermos of hot drink (or bought from cafe).

I will be driving so if any one needs a lift, let me know (I only have one passenger seat, so don't dither about asking as it will be first come first served).

Royden Park - pond management for Great Crested Newt

Tue 11th February, 2020

We will be clearing brush and trees from shading the ponds by the entry road in preparation of the newt breeding season. Paul the ranger will be taking down the larger trees with a chain saw so we could do with lots of help moving the wood.

Meet by the Ranger's Office (just around the corner from the Cafe & Walled Garden).

Tuesday the 11th February. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Bring warm clothes, water-proofs and wellies. Waders if you have them.

Biscuits provided and maybe a thermos of hot drink (or bought from cafe).

I will be driving so if any one needs a lift, let me know (I only have one passenger seat, so don't dither about asking as it will be first come first served).

Herpetofauna Workers Meeting, Southport 15th-16 February 2020

Sat 15th February, 2020 - Sun 16th February, 2020

The Herpetofauna Workers Meeting is an annual conference organised by the Amphibian & Reptile Groups UK and the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust, bringing together people interested in and working with these wonderful animals across the British Isles and sometimes further afield.

This meeting usually includes workshops on issues such as eDNA surveys for Great Crested Newt or restoration options for ponds in farmland. These are accompanied by numerous talks by a range of specialists in their fields, from government to NGO to consultants. One example is how useful they are is in 2017 Dr Carl Sayer and Helen Greaves gave talks and workshops on farm pond management, which provided the background to enable the present WiARG project in Royden Park. They are a great opportunity to meet knowledgeable and experienced people in the field, who are likely to be like-minded people. There is also a social element where people

This year it will be in Southport in the county across from the Wirral, where the North Merseyside Amphibian & Reptile Group often operates in its efforts to conserve Sand Lizards and Natterjack Toad. There will be a guided walk around the nearby sand dune system were much habitat management takes place. There will be two talks on the work around the Sefton coast that have relevance to the Wirral, from Andy Hampson from Gems in the Dunes, and Dr Phil Smith who is a former lecturer who has made a career of researching the Sefton Coast. There will also be posters presented, including one from WiARG on the reptile surveys in the north east Wirral coast.

Members of WiARG are eligible for the subsidised fee for attendance, so make sure your subs are up to date (can be paid via paypal.me/WiARG).

The chair (Tom) will be getting the train up for each day from the Wirral, so get in touch if you are looking for a travel companion.

https://www.arc-trust.org/Event/hwm2020?fbclid=IwAR3vkmeUDoB_4Jln1pJmTpAwu3W-Qvb9YSEUmsJ3y2bQnhoRWVJLJj_KEQs

Pond management for Natterjacks, Red Rocks

Sun 23rd February, 2020

Sunday 23rd February

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Natterjacks will start breeding as early as March, but they have quite specific conditions, such as near vegetation-free ponds, to have a productive breeding season to recruit the next generation.

We’ll be with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust rangers in the natterjack pools pulling and raking the growing reeds. Although the perimeter of the pond will be scraped by machines, the centre of the pools would become too deep for the toads therefore we’ll be doing the rest by hand.

Please bring your own lunch and wellingtons. If you have waders then please bring them as well as we have limited numbers. Make sure you have CHECKED-CLEANED-DRIED your wellies and waders before bringing them on site. Bring water proofs and warm clothing. Biscuits will be brought.

Meet at the slipway to the beach at the end of Stanley Road, CH47 1HZ. (turning off the Hoylake roundabout before heading into West Kirby from the east, or from Hoylake train station).

Hope to see you there.

Reptile Survey Prep & Habitat Management, Cleaver Heath, Heswall

Sun 1st March, 2020

Cleaver Heath Nature Reserve

Meet on Oldfield Road outside the reserve entrance sign, CH60 6SG.

Sunday 1^st March

10:00-15:00

We have teamed up with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust to help out with obtaining a baseline on the reptiles at Cleaver Heath Nature Reserve to see what is present and what is responding to the habitat management taking place.

We’ll be cutting the refugia from roofing felt, numbering and placing them around the site ready to start surveying throughout the year. This can be heavy going work, so hopefully plenty of us will spread the effort. We’ll also get cutting and raking off bracken in a few areas around the site, which will ultimately increase the light getting to ground level and more basking levels.

Please bring your own lunch, sturdy boots and warm clothes.

This is not really a public transport-friendly locality, so if you want to work out a carpool, contact us (tommy_dbone@yahoo.com).