great crested newts

clackdish · #1 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 10:37 PM

i dont know if im imagining this but i seem to remember a campaign that was aimed at finding new habitats via garden ponds for GCN's anyone else know of this or anything similar or am just having a senior moment ha ha ha ha

Jason Claxton · #2 (**permalink**) 29-09-2009, 03:34 PM

It does not sound too far fetched.I was just looking on the web ,and Natural England say that although it is more common for smooth newts to colonize these ponds ,larger ponds maybe used where there are not any fish present.My experience is of Great-crested newt sometimes wandering.

clackdish · #3 (**permalink**) 29-09-2009, 09:59 PM

there used to be a few good ponds round here with a thriving population of GCN's but they all seem to have vanished although they are doing a good job with tidying up a lot of the woodland streams and ponds in the area already made a massive difference to the local wildlife, hope they manage to restablish themselves

Apackofangrybats · #4 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 01:45 PM

It'd probably be a good idea to enquire @ Froglife or Pond Conservation since they're the groups most likely to manage this sort of campaign.

clackdish · #5 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 05:29 PM

great stuff will try both thanks

Jon Cranfield · #6 (**permalink**) 09-10-2009, 09:40 PM

I would try the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust - they have a great crested newt conservation officer - though garden ponds normally are not ideal for great crested newts in the long term - ponds in the wider landscape such as field ponds are much more important.

I would also draw your attention to the Amphibian & Reptile Groups of the UK or www.arguk.org - these are local volunteer groups who do alot of work on amphibians and reptiles across the UK

J

Jason Claxton · #7 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 08:54 AM

Yes I kind of assumed that suitable garden ponds might act as newt corridors maybe,as opposed to newts relying solely on them,could it help them to find other suitable habitat?

clackdish · #8 (**permalink**) 12-10-2009, 09:28 PM

as i remember that was the thinking a sort of newt highway system

Jason Claxton · #9 (**permalink**) 13-10-2009, 08:21 AM

Yes that definely sounds more plausible

Presumably it could be a great motivator for the creation of garden ponds,which would benefit other aquatic life as well

clackdish · #10 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 06:41 PM

thats my reason for building a pond, as a kid we used to catch these things in a pond out the back of a local works, it was so polluted but these things used to thrive there, it was full of old paint tins and scrap metal and such but there was stacks of them but never any in the ponds a bit further down the way funnily enough