DARN Dispatches 16

Thanks to everyone who has carried out reptile surveys over the spring and summer. It has been a hectic few months.

There are lots of juvenile reptiles and amphibians about at the moment. Gardening is difficult as the compost bin is full of Slow-worms; there are Grass Snakes under the hedge, tiny Frogs leap out when we try to weed a flower bed; Palmate Newts are in the soil and under rocks and tiles. The only ones missing are the Toads. No sign of them since breeding began.

Congratulations to Larry for being awarded his Natural England Rare Reptile licence. He has completed lots of surveys and added numerous records to the DARN and HIWARG databases over the last two years so it was well deserved.

Habitat management will be starting again in a few weeks. The bracken we cleared last year has regrown but not as tall as before and more sparsely which will make this year’s clearance a lot easier. The heather and gorse are looking beautiful and many walkers have commented on it.

We still have not heard if a new Forestry England Wildlife Range has been appointed but it does not affect our surveys or habitat management. It is just good to keep in touch.

As usual casual sightings of amphibians and reptiles can be added to Casual Sightings on the DARN website: www.groups.arguk.org/darn  or on Record Pool: www.recordpool.org.uk. Historic records are fine as well.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Keep safe!

Sheila Dyason and Cathy Dyason

Chair of DARN         Secretary of DARN

Conservation opportunities for everyone!

DARN Dispatches 15

We are halfway through January already so a bit late to say ‘Happy New Year’. The weather has been fairly kind to Dorset so far. Mild and windy before Christmas but it did allow for plenty of habitat management opportunities. Bracken clearing has been the main focus at one site. Where the bracken has been left for a few years without management the heather is still fairly healthy underneath but where the bracken has not been managed for 6-8 years the ground is basically bare underneath once the dead bracken has been removed. Hopefully heather seeds have remained viable in the soil and will soon germinate. Habitat management is continuing but with the milder weather continuing we are also looking out for reptiles enjoying a bit of warmth in more sheltered areas.

Newts and Frogs are already arriving in ponds throughout the county and in our garden ponds. We have not heard of any Toad sightings yet. We wonder who will report the first spawn clumps of 2024.

Congratulations to Tina and Paul for being awarded their Natural England Rare Reptile licences. They have both completed lots of surveys and added numerous records to the DARN and HIWARG databases so they were well deserved. Two more DARN members are working towards their licences as well.

BBC’s Winterwatch starts tomorrow and is being broadcast from Arne so it will be interesting to see if the Team find any amphibians or reptiles on their wanderings.

As usual casual sightings of amphibians and reptiles can be added to Casual Sightings on the DARN website: www.groups.arguk.org/darn  or on Record Pool: www.recordpool.org.uk. Historic records are fine as well.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Keep safe!

Sheila Dyason and Cathy Dyason

Chair of DARN         Secretary of DARN

Conservation opportunities for everyone!

DARN Dispatches 14

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through Summer. I don’t want a heatwave but some settled warm weather would be good and if the grass could just stop growing for a bit so we can find the refugia that would be great as well!

We welcome two new active reptile surveyors – one in Verwood and one in Purbeck. They are already sending in survey results which is great. Thank you both. We also have connections with a school which I have visited and their pond is teeming with wildlife particularly Frogs and Smooth and Palmate Newts. Grass Snakes and Toads have also been seen. So I am looking forward to seeing and hearing more from there. All very exciting.

Thank you also to existing surveyors and to those of you who send in records occasionally. Every record counts towards a better understanding of the location of Dorset’s amphibians and reptiles and the habitat that needs protecting.

On the subject of habitats, Forestry England have just confirmed that we can continue with the habitat management in Ringwood Forest and Hurn Forest over the Autumn and Winter. We shall be continuing with the four sites from last year plus others to be confirmed. DARN started a new research project last year to investigate if there was a better way for our volunteers to control Birch on our heathland sites. This has been extended to look at controlling Bracken as well. Some work has been on-going over the summer and thanks to Cathy for her help with this.

The SliC sites – Slow-worms in Churchyards – continue to produce results. Thank you to all the Land Managers that we work with for allowing us to survey on your land.

Allotments are still being surveyed and a Grass Snake has recently been spotted at one of them along with the Slow-worms and Toads.

A new transect is about to be set up as a rare reptile site and this will also involve habitat management at some point. I have not seen the site yet but I am waiting to hear from the Wildlife Ranger.

Other DARN projects are FARM – Farming with Amphibians and Reptiles in Mind – where landowners are wilding their fields and woods. One site has not recorded any reptiles yet but I have found two Dormouse nests which Cathy and I survey for under our Dormouse licences.

We are continuing to monitor the Wall Lizards at various sites with our NISER project – Non-native and Invasive Species, Escapees and Releases. They appear to be colonising garden further inland. Whether that is because of an increase in numbers or due to disturbance we do not yet know. There is evidence that some of the holes in the walls where they are regularly seen have been made larger as if someone has been trying to capture them.

My garden pond continues to be home to Frogs and Palmate Newts. The baby Frogs have just started to leave the water. Three Toads have also been seen and one has been under a tile for weeks. It has made a Toad print in the grass so it has obviously found a spot that is just right and it is not moving anywhere else. I have seen two of this year’s juvenile Slow-worms. They have been found with last years juveniles and adults as well. We have a population of 14+ Slow-worms. If anyone else has a garden pond or reptiles in their gardens I would love to hear from you.

It was good to see reptiles being featured on Springwatch recently.  It was being broadcast from Arne and it highlighted the number of reptiles being eaten by raptors. Particularly gruesome was the female Sand Lizard whose eggs were being plucked out of the decapitated body and fed to young Kestrels, I think. Confirmation of the Wall Lizards at Corfe Castle was also interesting as I have not seen them there yet.

As I have said in previous Dispatches, if you are interested in becoming a DARN reptile surveyor, email me and we will arrange for ARGWEB and field survey training if it is needed and then you will be given access to our widespread transect sites.

As usual casual sightings of amphibians and reptiles can be added to Casual Sightings on the DARN website: www.groups.arguk.org/darn  or on Record Pool: www.recordpool.org.uk or email the details to: sheiladyason2007@yahoo.co.uk. Historic records are fine as well. If you are not sure just email or message me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Keep safe!

Sheila Dyason

Chair of DARN

Conservation opportunities for everyone!

DARN Dispatches 13

Spring has finally come, and I am looking forward to some warm, settled weather.

Habitat management, over the autumn and winter, was a great success although more could have been achieved with more volunteers. Ringwood Forest and Hurn Forest were the two main areas we focused on. DARN started its new research project to investigate if there is a better way for our volunteers to control Birch on our heathland sites. Thank you to all the volunteers from DARN and HIWARG who participated.

DARN also helped Freshwater Habitats Trust with some water sampling in Ringwood and Hurn Forests and I am very pleased to say that the phosphate and nitrate levels were very low indicating unpolluted water.

#darnspawnandeggcount2023 was designed for people to report their frog spawn and newt sighting but it was mainly my garden ponds that were recorded. A maximum of 69 Palmate Newts were seen and 15 spawn clumps. The tadpoles have now emerged, and the water is bubbling with activity.

#darngardenslowworms2023 has just started and anyone can report their garden sightings. So far, I have three juvenile Slow-worms from last year, two adult males and an adult female in my garden under felt and roofing tiles.

Last weekend Tina led a training session on her favourite site for a new surveyor and we saw 65 reptiles including all three lizard species and Adders. A special thank you to Tina for sharing her knowledge and reptile surveying skills.

Other DARN projects are FARM – Farming with Amphibians and Reptiles in Mind – where landowners are wilding their fields and woods; and CAMPAR – CAMPsites with Amphibians and Reptiles – which will add a new dimension to staycation holidays this year.

We are continuing to monitor the Wall Lizards at various sites with our NISER project – Non-native and Invasive Species, Escapees and Releases.

The SliC project – Slow-worms in Churchyards - is also ongoing as is our Allotment project.

As I have said in previous Dispatches, if you are interested in becoming a DARN reptile surveyor, email me and we will arrange for ARGWEB and field survey training if it is needed and then you will be given access to our widespread transect sites.

As usual casual sightings of amphibians and reptiles can be added to Casual Sightings on the DARN website: www.groups.arguk.org/darn  or on Record Pool: www.recordpool.org.uk or email the details to: sheiladyason2007@yahoo.co.uk. Historic records are fine as well. If you are not sure just email or message me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Keep safe!

Sheila Dyason

Chair of DARN

Conservation opportunities for everyone!