Froglife’s newsletter - amphibians, reptiles & nature news Issue 20 spring/summer 2020 froglife Blessed as a newt Plus... Identifying UK newts : Poems from Creeping Toad : Monitoring amphibian tunnels Photo: Craig Mackay contents ‘From the CEO’: Kathy Wormald on the 3. Latest Developments Garden Wildlife Health (GWH) is a collaborative project between the Identifying UK newt species 4. Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Dear You can enter your sightings onto can be achieved with everyone’s the British Trust for Ornithology Surveying for newts supporters, our App. However please remember support. 6. (BTO), Froglife and the Royal great crested newts are a protected Firstly a huge I hope you enjoy this newsletter as Society for the Protection of Birds species and only someone with eDNA for detecting great crested newts; thank you much as we have enjoyed compiling (RSPB) which aims to monitor the a great crested newt licence can a replacement for traditional survey to everyone it. 8. health of, and identify disease handle them. techniques? who has threats to, British wildlife. Finally thanks to Vicky for designing contributed to We have included in the newsletter this newsletter, she always does us Low impact class licence for great Visit www.gardenwildlifehealth.org this newsletter. We have a great the lovely mural of great crested proud. 12. crested newts to find out more range of informative and interesting newts at Spitalfield and further articles, poems, photos and creativity has been added by one My love for amphibians Kathy Wormald, CEO 14. artwork. It is fantastic to see how of our trustees, Gordon, who has inspirational great created newts submitted poems from one of his 16. Toad - The eye of the beholder are. They certainly bring out the sessions with young people. creativity in people. Poems from Creeping Toad The Froglife Board Thanks goes to all of our supporters, 18. It is the time of year when you will donors, friends, staff, trustees and Chair of Trustees: Inez Smith see great crested newts in ponds. volunteers for all they have done to Newts: latest literature Vice Chair of Trustees: Prof. Roger Downie 20. The males do an amazing mating help us achieve so much. Fifty five Trustees: Frank Clark, Richard Donoyou, Dr. Phil Wheeler, dance to attract females. If you ponds in Sheffield and building on a Reports on three great crested newt Gordon MacLellan, Dr. Silviu Petrovan shine a torch into a pond at night network of ponds at Muiravonside 22. sites Patrons: Kate Bradbury & Jules Howard with newts you may witness this. Country Park highlights how much CEO: Kathy Wormald Studying the effects of predator cues on 25. great crested newt larvae contact us Froglife Six years of monitoring under-road 1 Loxley, Werrington 26. tunnels for amphibians Peterborough PE4 5BW fe 28. Frogalogue Phone: 01733 602102 ogli Email: [email protected] fr Design by Dr Victoria Larcombe Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps www.froglife.org froglife @froglifers froglifers +froglife froglife Froglife is the campaign title for The Froglife Trust. Registered Charity Number 1093372 (in England & Wales) & SC041854 (in Scotland); Registered Company Number 438714 (in England & Wales). The views expressed in Natterchat are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Froglife. To advertise in or to sponsor an edition of Natterchat please contact Kathy Wormald at [email protected]. Help us find dragons... Grab your phone, get your wellies, and go out dragon hunting this spring to help us map amphibians and reptiles. The new version of our free Dragon Finder smartphone app will help you to identify all the different amphibians and reptiles you might spot in the UK. You can also use it to record your sightings, adding to our Living Atlas of where the animals can be found. 2 3 Palmate newts are slightly smaller than smooth newts, they also have a yellow belly, often with dark E: palmate newt Identifying UK newt species spots. However, the easiest way to distinguish between the two is by Kathy Wormald, CEO grow their front legs, again different acid water that palmate newts do not have a to frogs and toads, followed by their and soil In the UK we have three native newt spotted or yellow throat; instead back legs. At this time of year adult as palmate species: smooth (C), palmate (A) and their throat is pink (E). During the newts spend a considerable amount newts can. great crested newts (B,D). All three breeding season males develop a of time in the water hunting for Both species when on land, have a share common features whilst each filament at the tip of their tails and food. However, once the larvae have velvety appearance and are often also have distinctive ones. Shared black webbing on their back feet. absorbed their gills, they leave the mistaken for lizards. Their colouring features include adults emerging Their preferred habitat is heathland, water as juveniles (or efts). is varying shades of grey or brown from their overwintering sites in moorland and bogland, and shallower Photo: Glenn Upton-Fletcher and both will have a distinctive early spring and heading to ponds Newts spend the autumn/winter ponds in acidic soils. yellow/orange dorsal stripe. In to breed. The males perform an months sheltering under rocks, Great crested newts are the largest F: smooth newt smooth newts this starts between the elaborate courtship dance before the in compost heaps, under logs and newt species in the UK and have eyes and continues down the body, eggs are laid. Females lay individual fallen leaves. Some will overwinter in been around for approximately 40 whereas in the palmate newt the eggs and wrap each egg up in a leaf ponds. They don’t hibernate as such, million years. During the breeding stripe starts just below the head and of a pond plant. Depending on local and may take advantage of milder season the males develop a jagged continues the full length of its body weather conditions two to four weeks weather to forage. crest along their backs which has a and tail. later larvae (sometimes called newt Now to their distinctive features. break at the base of the tail with a tadpoles) will hatch. During the breeding season male Smooth newt and palmate newts do white flash on the tail. Females take smooth newts develop a wavy crest The larvae have feathery gills around look very similar and are difficult on a ‘bulky’ appearance. Their skin is along their backs. They have a yellow the head, distinguishing them from to tell them apart but here are a black or dark brown and has a rough, or orange belly, usually with black frog or toad tadpoles. A couple of few tips. Smooth newts are more warty appearance. Their undersides spots/or blotches and their throats months after they hatch they start to widespread and cannot tolerate as are bright orange with irregular black Photo: Dr Silviu Petrovan are spotted. blotches. There are no great crested newts in Ireland but they are found G: great crested newt in all other areas of the UK, although A: male palmate newt B: female great crested newt in many areas their distribution is patchy, especially in the north and west. Great crested newts favour larger ponds and they generally do not live with fish. Their eggs (H) are much larger than smooth or palmate newts (I). The eggs are white with light yellow centre surrounded by a jelly capsule. Whereas smooth Photo: Dr Silviu Petrovan and palmate newt eggs are greyish- brown or dirty white but are also surrounded by a transparent jelly. Photo: Dave Kilbey For more information about our UK newts visit www.froglife.org/info- male (left) & female (right) smooth male great crested newt C: D: advice/amphibians-and-reptiles newt H: great crested I: smooth/palmate newt egg newt egg smooth/palmate newt eft great crested Photo: Mark Zekhuis Photo: Dave Kilbey newt eft 4 5 As great crested newts are protected You will need a powerful torch. Ideal surveying conditions are air more techniques are used for You will torch from the bank of the temperatures of 5°C or higher, surveying them, and can only be pond, move slowly around the pond little or no wind, dry with water carried out by someone with a great and torch approximately every two temperature ideally 10°C or more. crested newt licence. If great crested metres. Shine the torch into the Happy surveying and please do enter newts are suspected to be present water, take time to get your ‘eye’ into your data onto the Froglife App at on a site, a Natural England licence it, moving out from the bank and back it helps us a lot with our work, and is required before carrying out any again. your data will help to inform wider surveying techniques. Daytime surveys are done in April- conservation as all our data is In daylight simply walk around June to find eggs and night-time submitted to the National Biodiversity the pond edge and surrounding torching between March-June for Network database. terrestrial habitat and record newts adults and July-September for larvae http://www.froglife.org/dragonfinder/ and newt efts seen in the water hatched that year. These timings app/ and under logs, large stones etc. will vary depending on weather Remember newts can travel several conditions and locations. hundred metres away from the pond, so look further afield. You can also look for folded leaves which will indicate egg laying. You can look inside a folded leaf to determine its size and colour but do not disturb too many, and if you come across great crested newt eggs stop immediately as these are protected.