Friday 24 January 2014

Lovin’ the newts and snakes


2013 was the first year that we got fully involved with the actual trapping of newts and reptiles on the mitigation projects that we work on. Previously we would put up the fencing to enclose the development site and only come back later to maintain it. Last year we undertook the trapping programmes on 5 projects and met and saved a lot of beautiful amphibians and reptiles in the process.

Grass snake
Trapping is the really rewarding end of the job as you get to meet the animals close up and really feel that you are doing some good. Plus it beats staggering around on a muddy field refilling fencing trenches with a shovel.

We trapped great crested newts on 3 sites in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire and saved over 500 animals. On 2 projects in Wiltshire, we were looking for reptiles, mainly slow worms but also common lizards and grass snakes and saved almost 100.

It certainly makes the early mornings and rain down the back of the neck worthwhile when you pull 6 newts out of the same pitfall trap and move them to some perfect habitat out of harm’s way.

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