Bedfordshire Reptile & Amphibian Group (BedsRAG)
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About us

About Us

Who we are

We are a small, informal grassroots conservation group dedicated to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles in Bedfordshire. We are affiliated to the Bedfordshire Natural History Society, we are also members of the Beds Heathland Forum. In the past, we have helped draft Species Action Plans (SAPS) for both Bedfordshire Adders and Great Crested Newt. We are also affiliated with the Amphibian and Reptile Groups UK (ARG UK), the organisation that helps with coordinating regional ARGs. 

Membership

We welcome both people who prefer to work as individuals, and people who prefer to work in cooperation with others through the Group. We occasionally organise outings and training sessions, for our members. These include such activities as workshops, particularly for people who wish to qualify for a GCN license. It doesn't matter if you've never surveyed for a newt or a lizard before, we'll be able to help train you and pair you up with someone to help generate data in your local area. At present membership is free, all you need to do to become a member is contact us.

Current members can log into the BedsRAG ARGWEB using the button below.

Our aims

At present, much of our activity has been concentrated on specific sites in the south of the county. We are only too aware of how little we know about North Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire is richer in herps than one might expect, our aim to try to map as much as this diversity as possible, through the use of targetted surveys and casual observations. If you spot any amphibians or reptiles in Bedfordshire, please report them using the appropriate tab above. Much of Bedfordshire is very poorly surveyed for amphibians and reptiles, we simply do not know what is there. Parts of the county are under severe development pressure and we hope to get a good picture of what is there before it is too late. If are interested in joining the group, and surveying you local patch for either amphibians or reptiles, please get in touch.

As well as the common species, we are also aware of two introduced species: midwife toads and marsh frogs, with one re-introduction: natterjack toads. 

 

News

News

Heathland Forum visit, 11th November 2013

Posted on Friday 15th November, 2013

The annual Heathland Forum was organised by Phil Irving of the Greensand Trust (and BRAG member). We met at the smart new Heron View Visitor Centre at Rushmere and then saw some of the recent tree clearance in the adjoining Country Park. Large areas had been cleared using a huge machine. Some of the wood was commercially useful and could be sold, but the problem then was – what to do with all the brash? Experiments were made with different ways of spreading it and heather regeneration will be monitored closely. The other problem was what to do about getting rid of the bracken? Asulox seems to be the answer. In the afternoon we looked at parts of Bragenham Wood and Kings Wood where smaller areas had been cleared, and also at established areas of heather. There were some very good looking open areas of heather within the woodland which would make good basking places. We also, unfortunately, saw considerable damage by the heather beetle. The weather was not kind to us – it was drizzling most of the day. We saw no herps of course, though we did see both the Hebridian sheep and Hereford cattle which are being used for grazing. [See Photo Gallery]


More Lizards at Biggleswade!

Posted on Friday 1st November, 2013
More lizards at Biggleswade! On September 24th at about 5pm while walking eastwards, away from Biggleswade railway station, we spotted three lizards. They were basking in the late sunshine on a low fence. A busy footpath ran between them and the railway embankment but they were obviously used to pedestrians and cyclists and took no notice of us when we stopped to look at them for several minutes. Even our shadows falling on them did not disturb their basking. We have subsequently learned that lizards have also been seen for the first time in a garden on the west side of the railway line near the station. We are not sure whether these sightings mean lizards are expanding their range or we are just being more observant. Unfortunately we did not have a camera with us to record the lizards. Do let us know if you see any lizards (or any other herps) on or near railway embankments in Bedfordshire. (See news item of June 23rd for our first sighting.)

GCN ponds in arable fields

Posted on Wednesday 30th October, 2013

Over the years we have not surveyed many ponds in arable fields. This year, though, as part of a survey of Great Crested Newts in the Marston Vale organised by Daniel Piec and Britt Cordi of Natura International and funded by SITA (see news item of 4th March 2013) we included farm ponds. In one arable field we found three ponds. All of them, rather to our surprise, held reasonable GCN populations. One was connected to a hedge, one was in a corner near a lane but the third was completely surrounded by the arable field. None had a significant protective strip of land around them but trees were growing in all three ponds. [See Photo Gallery]


GCN larvae on 28th July 2013

Posted on Wednesday 31st July, 2013
We were very please to net 28 GCN larvae in a small pond near Cople on 28th July 2013: earlier in the year we had found lots of eggs, and seen good numbers of adults by torchlight. The success of a pond, though, depends on the number of larvae which emerge in the autumn. The July dry spell has resulted in some local ponds failing to hold water. The recent thunderstorms should have replenished most of those still capable of supporting larvae. The Cople pond is deep (with very few shallow areas) and had plenty of water when we visited. Hopefully there will be good numbers of GCN larvae emerging later this year. This is especially important as other local ponds are in poor condition – Duck Weed and overshadowing are the main problems. See Photo Gallery.

Toadlets at Saxon Gate: 10th July 2013

Posted on Wednesday 10th July, 2013
We visited Richard’s Pond at Saxon Gate this afternoon to see how the toad and frog spawn had developed. There has been very little rain recently and we were concerned the pond might have dried up before the froglets and toadlets had emerged. We need not have worried – the pond is low but still holds water and we saw lots of toadlets at the muddy edge of the pond. No froglets were visible but they have probably dispersed. In out experience the toadlets will hang around the pond waiting for a wet day and then all disperse at the same time whereas froglets disperse one by one. See Picture Gallery for well camouflaged toadlets!

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Identification

Identification

Bedfordshire is home to a number of amphibian and reptile species, these may be hard to differentiate to the untrained eye. We've therefore provided the following information to help ensure that species identifications are correct, especially when it comes to recording. The links provided before should help most people when it comes to establishing the identity of an amphibian or reptile. If you're still stuck, then please feel free to contact us. 

Amphibians

Amphibians tend to be found in close proximity to water, especially in the spring, although they may be found in terrestrial environments in the summer and autumn. This can sometimes lead to confusion between newts and lizards.

The following amphibians can be found in Bedfordshire:

As far as we're aware, there are no populations of palmate newts, which tend to prefer more upland and acidic sites. 

If you're unable to tell which amphibian species you've found, or you're dealing with a young individual, then we recommend this helpful guide from ARG UK.

Reptiles

Reptiles tend to be found in drier habitats than amphibians, they posses scales, and are also more agile than amphibians. Like amphibians, they hibernate throughout the winter months, and emerge again in the spring.

The following reptiles can be found in Bedfordshire:

If you're unable to tell which reptile species you've found, then we recommend this helpful guide from ARG UK.

 

Contact us

Contact Us

Dave Willis (Chair)

 

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07581121270
15 Brickfield
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Second contact: Lloyd Rose, lloyd-rose@hotmail.co.uk

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events will be listed here.


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