Great Easter Newt Hunt

[Matt Smith]

Hi all

ARG UK have been putting together a newt (plus frog and toad) survey called the "Great Easter Newt Hunt" which has now got off the ground. Sightings can be made via a simple to use on-line form and the records will eventually get back to the local ARG groups / county recorders.

More details below, though I couldn't load the nice .pdf flier as the Gallery doesn't like .pdf files.

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Dear all


The long awaited moment has now arrived, and we are about to launch the Great Easter Newt Hunt.

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and ARG UK are inviting the public to join the Great Easter Newt Hunt (any day between 22nd April and 2nd May) and help provide data to be used for newt conservation:

· Little is known about our most widespread newt species

· They are the least protected of our amphibians

· We need more information about them to plan for their conservation!

The project aims to find out about our most widespread newts – the smooth and palmate newts – and see how much they use Britain’s garden ponds as habitat. Participants are asked to spend just 20 minutes on one day over Easter counting the newts in their ponds.

They can also record any other amphibians they see and find links to other surveys they can get involved in.

Prospective newt hunters can find survey hints, ID information and submit their results on-line at The Great Easter Newt Hunt - Home page and will be able to share the site with friends via Facebook and Twitter to get more people involved!

We are trying to gather as much information as possible, so please get involved yourselves, and tell anyone else that you know that might be interested.

best regards



Angela Julian

Secretary ARG UK

[htcdude]

Thanks for the link,

I've never heard of a Great Easter Newt before

[Deb London]

Thanks Matt.

[Matt Smith]

Originally Posted by htcdude

Thanks for the link,

I've never heard of a Great Easter Newt before

They are sort of chocolate coloured....................

BUMP

[Red Robin]

Thanks, Matt

I'm enjoying observing the Smooth newts in my small wildlife pond created last June.

Got my first newts....

Not the greatest of photographs technically but I enjoyed witnessing this one looking out of a window in my underwater 'Star Dome'! :

[vole-woman]

Bless it!

[vole-woman]

I have got loads of common newts this year, way more than ever before (the pond's going into its fourth summer). Anyone else finding an increase in numbers?

[Red Robin]

The Smooth Newts I reported earlier have turned out to be Palmate Newts!

Recognisable (without capturing them for inspection) by the male's webbed rear feet:

[vole-woman]

Cor! That's a helpful tip/picture.