amphibians and roadside drains/gullypots

[lizard orchid]

Dear All,
In recent years at two sites in Northamptonshire I have had big problems with Great Crested Newts falling into roadside drains/gullypots on thier way to their breeding ponds where many would have drowned or starved to death. One temporary measure I have used which has been successful is placing polysterine floats into drains that contain a certain amount of water. During the migration period, as well as GCN's, Smooth Newts, Common Frog and Common Toad have all used these floats. It gives these animals a chance to get out of the water and not drown. Of course the polysterine floats have to be quite big as a number of the drains here have a side tunnel inside them which if the float was too small the float would get stuck in the side tunnel when there is a certain amount of rain water running into the drain.
I have been helping Great Crested's across the roads and out of the gullypots for the past ten years now here in Northamptonshire at these two sites and at the moment the migration period is well under way here due to the milder temperatures.

Brian Laney, Northamptonshire County Recorder for Reptiles and Amphibians.

[Deb London]

Very interesting post indeed. Thanks Brian.

[nightshade]

I will bet the local councils cuss you when they find polystyrene blocking the drains
If everyone was just a little more vigilant during the Frogs and Toads/Newts "walkabout" period many more would survive.
Perhaps if the WAB site heading altered (PLEASE Stuart) to remind people here to look out for amphibians the awarness would spread. Joking aside well done Brian.

[dampflippers]

I'm glad you have posted this Brian.

There is a car park in a country park here that regularly gets full of toads, so I go armed with net, bucket and torch. Luckily I can lift the lids of most of them.

Someone else found that a new industrial estate had gulleys full of huge numbers of GCNs.

I think it is a design fault which makes it worse: The gulleys and the slots go right to the edge of the road without a few inches of spare flat surface like they used to have.

I would suggest that small gauge weldmesh could be wired onto the top or to the underneath of the slotted top. Or a metal plate say 100mm wide could be wired onto the kerb side of the grid.

[tom00_uk]

i dont imagine the hydrocarbons and sodium thats washed into the gully does them any favours

[lizard orchid]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I will bet the local councils cuss you when they find polystyrene blocking the drains
If everyone was just a little more vigilant during the Frogs and Toads/Newts "walkabout" period many more would survive.
Perhaps if the WAB site heading altered (PLEASE Stuart) to remind people here to look out for amphibians the awarness would spread. Joking aside well done Brian.

The first year I put polysterine floats into the drains for the amphibians the floats were too small and went down the side tunnels of each drain so the following year I made the floats much larger so they did not do this. I did not want to flood out the housing estate and the locals!
Also the first year of trials Smmoth newts clambered out of the drain water and sat on the floats.
In the second year all trapped amphibian species started using the floats including the GCN's.
In future years of any housing estate being built they should design all drains containing a ramp of sorts like they do for cattle grids for hedgehogs.
Thousands of amphibians across the UK must sadly die in drains each year.

Brian Laney.

[lizard orchid]

Sometimes each year an odd drain cover does not open so bought myself a crow bar to solve this problem.
If there are amphibians like GCN's on the surface of the water within a drain I sometimes use an aquarium net attached to a long cane and put that through the drain slits to catch the animals, especially if there is a drain cover that does not open.

Brian Laney.

[lizard orchid]

I remember asking the council if I could put some mesh covers over the drains during migration time but their answer at the time was it could pop someones bike tyres if they rode over them.
What a stupid excuse.

Brian Laney.

[lizard orchid]

At both GCN migration sites both of which are in housing estates, the locals have been brilliant in keeping their parked cars off the drain covers during the migration season so I can get at the trapped amphibians. I must thank them for that.
It is interesting to hear whats going on from you lot as well across the UK. Good work to a load of you who go out and help our trapped amphibians.

Brian Laney, Northamptonshire county recorder for reptiles and amphibians.