What newt is this, please?

jeremiah · #1 (**permalink**) 23-10-2010, 08:13 PM

What newt is this, please?

It was in a wildlife garden, under a piece of wood labelled with an invitation to lift it and see the bugs.

Robert S J Smith · #2 (**permalink**) 23-10-2010, 08:34 PM

possibly a smooth newt?

robert

Deb London · #3 (**permalink**) 23-10-2010, 09:00 PM

It looks like a Great Crested Newt. Hope you didn't disturb it too much (not least because of the whopping great fine you might get

).

jeremiah · #4 (**permalink**) 23-10-2010, 09:35 PM

Thanks for the id.

I've never seen a great crested newt before, and although the garden (it's public) mentioned that there were great crested newts in their big pond, I wasn't expecting to see one at all, especially at least a couple of hundred yards away from the pond. I thought newts hibernated? I didn't try to touch it, just took the photo.

~T~ · #5 (**permalink**) 23-10-2010, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deb London

It looks like a Great Crested Newt. Hope you didn't disturb it too much (not least because of the whopping great fine you might get

).

Does this actually happen? I mean it's great our threatened amphibians are protected an all but who polices it? The police or what?

I agree it does look like a GCN.

Deb London · #6 (**permalink**) 24-10-2010, 05:11 AM

It's never happened to me or anyone I know so I really don't know.

Dogghound · #7 (**permalink**) 24-10-2010, 08:25 AM

The newt is definately a great crested newt. They can move quite considerable distances from ponds to hibernate or forage, 200 yards is not far. Yes the police wildlife crimes unit police it. Natural england implement the licensing and help in prosecutions. In most cases someone picking up a newt is unlikely to cause much fuss, but damaging newts and habitats will get you in serious trouble.

~T~ · #8 (**permalink**) 24-10-2010, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogghound

The newt is definately a great crested newt. They can move quite considerable distances from ponds to hibernate or forage, 200 yards is not far. Yes the police wildlife crimes unit police it. Natural england implement the licensing and help in prosecutions. In most cases someone picking up a newt is unlikely to cause much fuss, but damaging newts and habitats will get you in serious trouble.

That's cool and does that also go for building work? Say a block of flats were half built then GCN were found living right beside it? Would they have to be scrapped? Do the other 2 newt species have any protection? A large quarry near me is home to either palmates or smooth newts (and whatever arrived with water plants I got from ebay lol), common frogs, common toads and a breeding pair of peregrine falcons. At one point it was going to be filled in or made into a huge rubbish dump as its very deep and quite dangerous. But it seems that was scrapped and it's been left ever since (although it's pretty well fenced off). Would this have been to do with either the aquatic or feathered ihabitants? There are also a lot of blue butterflys living there too (it's little oasis).

Dogghound · #9 (**permalink**) 24-10-2010, 05:05 PM

Usually as part of a building development you have to carry out a phase 1 habitat assessment, or a CODE or BREEAM assessment. You would hope that the ecologists carrying these out would do a gcn survey or a GCN HSI (Habitat suitability index) if the development was going to cause an impact to the newts or pond, it would have to alter its planning or create a new pond (receptor pond). Sometimes newts are removed from the area and placed in other ponds although ive never had to do this, and the licensing is awkard.

If you found newts midway through a development then it would have to stop, changes to the development may then be required or newts may need to be collected, or another ponds created.

Neither palmate nor smooth newt recieve the levels of protection which gc newts have, but they are protected from sale through the wildlife and countryside act however they dont have much other protection. However you would still be in trouble if you went a stood on aload, due to animal cruelty being an offence.

Peregrine Falcons are heavily protected and would certainally require mitigation work on any development. You would not be able to build during the nesting season etc and would have to provide alternative nesting habitat.

Matt Smith · #10 (**permalink**) 31-10-2010, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~T~

Does this actually happen? I mean it's great our threatened amphibians are protected an all but who polices it? The police or what?

I agree it does look like a GCN.

Your beastie is a GCN. As the legislation points to a criminal offence it is up to the Police to "police" it, most forces (to a greater or lesser extent) have a Wildlife Crime Officer who should be the first point of contact if you suspect a offence is being committed.

As for surveys, as lot of small site don't actually get a Phase 1 survey done as part of the process, particulalry if it is development of existing residential sites like gardens. Having said that, it is up to the developer to ensure all relevant surveys are done before the planning application is submitted, Goverment guidelines say that protected species surveys should only be allowed as a condition of a planning permission in exceptional circumstances. It is up to the applicant to satisfy the LPA on this point that either no surveys are needed or that they have been done and the appropriate processes are put in place for the next phase - GCN Licences for development sites are not normally issued untill full planning permission has been granted.