CRAG held their AGM on 18^th May. The details of which will be circulated to all members. In summary the committee remains exactly as it was. Membership fees have been increased to the staggering sum of £5.00pa. Providing an adult is a full member of CRAG, children under 16 do not have to pay a membership fee and can attend events / activities with a parent or an individual in loco parentis.

 

The need for ‘members’ to complete an application form was emphasised again as without this you are not a member and therefore not eligible to attend activities / events. So if you have not done so please do so now.

 

Cathy kindly organised an activity at the Penhale MOD site in north Cornwall. 18 members attended and all agreed it was an thoroughly enjoyable morning. Under Cathy’s guidance we found a number of slow worms and two grass snakes. Unfortunately, we did not encounter any adders. This was particularly frustrating as we were later informed by the botanical group who were following an hour or so behind us, that they had discovered an adder basking next to one of our tins!!

 

Having completed the reptile survey Cathy guided us to a shallow pool and aided by Kat and Nicola proceeded to demonstrate the art of pond dipping. Several palmate newts were caught along with palmate larvae and numerous aquatic creatures.

 

A discussion lead by the intrepid trio focussed on the need for bio-security when leaving sites to avoid contaminating other sites with invasive and non-native species.

 

The next event which is being organised by Paul Smith is eagerly awaited and will focus on reptiles and hopefully adders will feature this time.

On Saturday 16th June CRAG members joined other keen naturalists at the Tremough Campus to help locate and identify the biodiversity of species on campus. Not the best of weather, but a good time was had and a few species added to the continually growing species count. However it give the opportunity to scope out the site with a veiw to making areas more reptile and amphibian freindly. At the time the group left the species count had just gone over the 200 mark.

CRAG members went on to visit Argal and College Reservoirs to scope out the possibilities of carrying out surveys on the sites.

During the winter months, CRAG members got stuck in to help the sand lizards by carrying out some habitat improvement work.The finished habitat looks terrific and now we just hope the lizards will think so too. Check out the photos in our gallery.

Well done everyone who gave time to help out.

We hope to have more hands on management activities for next winter.

Thamks to Paul Smith, Catriona Neal & Pete Mycock for the great photos.

Vice Chair of the ARG UK Panel Jon Cranfield joined members of CRAG for a spot of adder, lizard watching alongside checking up on toad and frog breeding ponds at Windmill Farm and Goonhilly Downs.

Lizards were very much evident in the sunshine with a few adders spotted. Toad spawn was found in the deeper ponds at Windmill Farm. The most interesting find was the tadpoles in small temporary ponds and puddles at both sites. The tadpoles were up to 2 inches in length.

Frog spawn in this part of the country is very early - reported to have been October to December 2011. While people are finding frogs in their garden ponds and in nature reserves in other parts of the country the frog tadpoles have been developing very fast indeed.

The temporary nature of the ponds and the early spawning may have led to a faster cycle for the tadpoles which will need to change into froglets before the ponds dry up in the late spring early summer.

See the gallery for more photos of the ponds, tadpoles and reptiles 

Cornwall's sand lizard colony has been given a helping hand by the group's volunteers. Overgrown vegetation was cut back to provide suitable habitat for the sand lizards in North Cornwall Coast.

20 volunteers were called upon to help throughout February. The important work will enable the lizards to find suitable environments away from the madding crowds of the public.

Further surveys are planned at the site so please do contact CRAG for more details.