Hertfordshire Amphibian and Reptile Group (HertsARG) was established in 2011 to promote, conserve and study Hertfordshire's native populations of reptiles and amphibians. Since then we have gone from strength to strength and warmly welcome new members whatever their level of knowledge or experience. We have Whatsapp and Facebook groups. The group contains several licensed great crested newt workers and we are happy to take questions and queries from the public on these and other species.
The following species are found in Hertfordshire;
Smooth newts (Lissotriton vulgaris)
Great crested newts (Triturus cristatus)
Palmate newts (Lissotriton helvetica)
Common frogs (Rana temporaria)
Common toads (Bufo bufo)
Midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) *Non-native and generally restricted to St Albans area*
Common/viviparous lizards (Zootoca vivpara)
Wall lizards (Podarcis muralis)
Slow worms (Anguis fragilis)
Grass snake (Natrix helvetica)
There are no reliable records of adders (Viper berus) in Hertfordshire. Despite extensive searching across the county, we have not found any. They are therefore regarded as extinct here, pending proof of any animals being provided. Any suspected bites or injuries should be taken to hospital or veterinary surgery.
Over the coming months we hope there will be news of a number of interesting and valuable conservation and research projects. Should you wish to become involved, or simply to be kept updated of progress, please email your contact details to davewillisbhs@yahoo.co.uk.
If you have any questions or ideas for future work, or know of a site you think may be of interest, let us know!
PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IF YOU:
David Willis - Founder
Hatfield
Herts
(Please email for details, upcoming projects and any unwanted animals)
davewillisbhs@yahoo.co.uk
Telephone: 07581121270
Mammal Amphibian and Reptile Atlas (MARA) and Herp record queries;
Dr Chantal Helm or Mr Ian Flack
University of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire's common lizards (Zootoca vivipara) have been out in force this month enjoying the late summer sun. No Man's Land common, grassland sites in Hitchin and King's Meads nature reserve are among a few where large numbers of adults and youngsters have been seen. They are growing and eating as much as they can before the winter. Late March-Early April will see them emerge again to take up basking positions on logs and branches close to cover in sunny locations.
During the period of effective lockdown, HertsARG has effectively suspended all group activities. This means, of course, that the bulk of the survey season for 2020 has been missed. However. as we move into autumn and the season of winter tasks, we will be adhering to the following advice from ARG UK:
Groups visiting sites will be limited. If you would like to get involved, but are concerned regarding the current situation, please do not hesitate to contact to discuss.
Many people now use the App "WhatsApp" - a free downloadable resource - in order to keep in touch. HertsARG now has a group which we use to share dates of upcoming visits and work we are doing. If you would like to be kept abreast and share information/ask questions, please send us your mobile telephone number and we will add this to the group.
Every year we are contacted by people looking to acquire references for their Great Crested Newt Licence. This is not a problem, but we require the following;
Any questions about this, please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Rob Ward, from Kent University, joined us this week to tell us about his work with the Grass Snakes of Jersey. It was interesting to hear about the amount of survey effort that has gone into collecting his data, invloving many volunteers from the island. Of particular interest was his account of the radio tracking of snakes, which showed just how far some individual animals could travel in a relatively short space of time.
Grass Snakes are Hertfordshire's only snake species, and are totally harmless. They will be a target species for the distribution data being collated, and Rob has offered his help and advice in surveying these and other reptile species over the coming years.
Want to help out our declining toads? Several Toad crossing sites are now registered in Hertfordshire at a range of locations, and HertsARG volunteers have been helping out wherever they can. Please get in touch if you would like to help toads on roads, or know of a site where they are being killed by cars on the way to their ponds.
David Willis - Founder
Hatfield
Herts
(Please email for details, upcoming projects and any unwanted animals)
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