One of our YARG members Anne Carter is conducting a number of surveys of a local pond near York:

Monitoring surveys of two ponds in Stub Wood, a private woodland near Acaster Malbis, York.

Proposed Surveys Dates and approximate times are:

• Wednesday 11th April  20:00 to 22:00
• Wednesday 2nd May 20:30 - 22:30
• Monday 21st May 20:00 to 22:30
• Wednesday 13th June 21:30 to 23:30

The surveys will involve egg searching and torching after dusk.

Please dress warmly and bring a clu-lite or other high powered torch if you have one.

Hoping to see Smooth Newt and Great Crested Newt.

Please contact Anne via our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/2134380533464546/ (or via the YARG email address) if you are interested in attending any of the proposed survey dates as the event may need to be cancelled if the weather is poor.

Nell Bank - GCN Monitoring Surveys

One of our members; Gordon Haycock will be once again conducting GCN monitoring surveys of the  GCN translocation ponds at the Nell Bank Centre in Ilkley. 

The first survey visit is proposed for Friday 20th April 2018. 

Meet at Nell Bank Centre  Car Park at 7:30/7.45pm.   http://www.nellbank.com/

Address is Nell Bank, Denton Road, llkley, West Yorkshire LS29 0DE.

Wear warm clothes and bring a torch if you have one.

YARG membership not essential but encouraged!

Any queries please contact Gordon on gordon.haycock@haycockandjay.co.uk or Clare or Andy via ARG email newyorksarg@gmail.com

MONDAY 30TH APRIL 2018

Completion of the first of a number of GCN monitoring surveys of two ponds and a ditch on the Line Ways LWS.  YARG members welcome.

Approximate times 20:30 to 22:30.

This will involve torching after dusk from the bank side.

Please dress warmly and bring a clu-lite or other high powered torch if you have one.

Chance of seeing smooth and great-crested newt.

Please contact Kate Wright via the Facebook page (or the ARG email address) https://www.facebook.com/events/154894025170630/ if you are intending to come as the event may need to be cancelled if the weather is poor.

Amphibian Survey and ID Continuation of monitoring surveys at this Yorkshire Wildlife Trust  site - this will be the 5th+ year of surveys being conducted by Yorkshire ARG.  Great site for all species of newt; GCN , Palmate and smooth plus frogs and toads.  Intend to undertake egg searching and daytime assessment plus installation of bottle traps and aquatic funnel traps recently purchased by YARG.  On Monday morning (7th)  traps will be removed and captures identified.  

Meet at 5;30pm (on the 6th) at the Car Park off Stocksmoor Road (B6117), Midgley, South west of Wakefield (Ordnance Survey Grid Reference SE 275 152) – See http://www.ywt.org.uk/reserves/stocksmoor-common-nature-reserve 

If you would like to come along please contact Andy or Clare Mcilwraith at newyorksarg@gmail.com

YARG Members/Volunteers Required!

Yorkshire ARG has been invited to attend the Hagge Wood- Meadow Discovery Day.  

Details see https://www.haggewoodstrust.org.uk/DB/whats-on-6/three-hagges-wood-meadow-discovery-day

Event is from 1pm until 4pm on Sunday 24th June 2018.

The Discovery Day is an afternoon packed full of family activities including nature trails and challenges, meet and learn all about native snakes in our reptile tent, identify bird nests, pond dipping, storytelling, face painting, bug tattoos as well as homemade cake. We will have picnic benches and rugs so don’t forget to pack a picnic.

Yorkshire ARG is hoping to attend and host a stand proving information to attendees about our native herps and undertake some pond dipping,  If you can help out by hosting /assisting on the stand or pond survey activities please do let me know... its a great site and has a lot of botanical and invertebrate interest.

Yorkshire ARG Annual Meeting

Please do come along - members and non/potential new members welcome

Wednesday 4th March 2020

at 6.30pm

Midnight Bell 101 Water Ln, Holbeck, Leeds LS11 5QN 

The meeting provides a chance to catch up with your fellow Yorkshire herptile enthusiasts as we discuss the things that have been undertaken over the past 12 months and put together our plans for the upcoming year. 

• Do you have an idea for an event or survey you'd like to run?
• Is there a project that you think the group could support?
• Would you be interested in helping to run the group "behind the scenes"?
• Are you just interested in knowing what the group gets up to and want to get involved?

If you have answered yes to any of the above then you should definitely come along!   We are particularly keen to meet with and hear from members with any ideas for sites which may require surveys of where there are opportunities for the group funds to assist in enhancement measures for amphibians or reptiles, and/or any who may wish to assist with the group events.

Hope to see some of you at the meeting!

When; From 6.30pm - Thursday 23^rd March 2023

Venue; Nell Bank Centre, Denton Rd, Ilkley LS29 0DE https://www.nellbank.org/

Limited places – strictly by booking only

What’s going on?

National Amphibian & Reptile Monitoring Programme  (NARMP) is  ARC’s flagship portfolio of surveys and projects that, together, generate data to inform the conservation of amphibians and reptiles at a range of scales. Our species surveillance framework aims to deliver robust, comprehensive information on the status of amphibians and reptiles throughout the UK, to safeguard their populations and the habitats on which they depend. The programme is dynamic and collaborative. Some surveys have been running for more than 25 years, other initiatives are coordinated by shorter, fixed-term projects. Explore these pages for information on current initiatives, how to take part, results and updates.

YARG are supporting ARC Trust in the delivery of this training and so would like to encourage people to take part in the NARMP, therefore this workshop is specifically intended for people who will commit to participate in the National Amphibian & Reptile Monitoring Programme in 2023. 

Please visit the website and sign up for a recording square. This can be a site nominated by you, or you can choose a site selected by Arc-Trust.

All information relating to NARMP is found here;https://monitoring.arc-trust.org/   Specifically the amphibian survey element here: ://amphibian-survey.arc-trust.org/

All participants at the workshop must have registered on the ARC Trust website as a volunteer for a survey square prior to the workshop and have the app downloaded on a phone or other device ready to use  App information see https://monitoring.arc-trust.org/pages/apps

The workshop we will focus on the amphibian survey protocols but opportunities to review the reptile NARMP protocols will be available as required.  The amphibian survey protocol will be reviewed and outlined, participants can consider logistics of the collation of data, followed by the completion of a practical field session at Nell Bank surveying their four ponds where we are likely to encounter common frog, common toad, palmate newt, smooth newt, great crested newt and alpine newt.

This workshop is aimed at novices who do not hold a great crested newt survey licence. On satisfactory completion of the workshop your name will be recorded and you will be registered as an accredited agent under ARC Trusts great crested newt licence which they hold for the purposes of National Amphibian Survey 2023. This will allow you to carry out surveys at your nominated site and record great crested newt if present.

Participation is strictly by booking only, and is free for YARG members; please email Gordon.haycock@haycockandjay.co.uk

Your place will not be confirmed until we have seen evidence that you have registered for a National Amphibian Survey square and are ready to go.  

When: Saturday 25th March 2023 10am - 1pm

Where: World's End (Strensall Common)

Meeting Place: Thompsons Fish & Chip Restaurant, Hazelbush, Malton Road, YO32 9TW  https://w3w.co/escorting.warns.creatures

What to bring:  Wear decent footwear, prepare for the weather as require waterproof clothing, you might want to bring a drink/flask and a camera. 

This will be a daytime event.  

Yorkshire ARG member Anne Carter who works for Freshwater Habitat Trust has kindly offered to host a toad/frog spawn survey at Flagship ponds located at Strensall Common reserve off A64 east of York  (https://www.ywt.org.uk/nature-reserves/strensall-common-nature-reserve) extended the invitation to Yorkshire ARG members to join her.

We will be conducting a frog and toad survey on three ponds at World's End, Strensall Common. There will also be an opportunity to check reptile mats on the site with a good chance of seeing common lizards and adders.

We will meet at Thompsons Fish & Chip Restaurant on the A64. From here we can car share to access the ponds via Forestry England woodland track. Following on from the survey we will reconvene for a fish and chip lunch! 

The event is free for YARG members; please email Anne Carter if you'd like to come along acarter@freshwaterhabitats.org.uk