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RAUK - Archived Forum - Dorset Sand Lizards

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Dorset Sand Lizards:

Author	Message
Peter Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 No. of posts: 260 View other posts by Peter	Posted: 19 Jan 2008 I`m new here and just wanted to show my appreciation at having found this forum and reviving a life long passion. I thought I would share a couple of old snaps that I took in the past.

Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi	Posted: 19 Jan 2008 Nice pix Peter. You're lucky to see these as we don't seem to have them in East Devon on the heaths. Welcome to the forum by the way! Suz

Peter Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 No. of posts: 260 View other posts by Peter	Posted: 20 Jan 2008 Thanks for the welcome Suzi. No Sand lizards where I live either, (South Wales) I travelled to a childhood haunt in Dorset to find the animals above.

Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi	Posted: 20 Jan 2008 I lived in Wimborne in the early '70s but wasn't interested in reptiles then. My brother, who was, spent loads of time at Studland. Suz

tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572 View other posts by tim hamlett	Posted: 21 Jan 2008 nice pix peter. really good colours. tim

Peter Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 No. of posts: 260 View other posts by Peter	Posted: 21 Jan 2008 Thanks Tim. Yes they aren`t bad for a Brownie Automatic! Here`s a little one of the habitat; A couple more;

AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS	Posted: 28 Jan 2008 PETER THEY ARE REAL GOOD STIMULATING PICS TO LOOK AT IN WINTER WITH A NICE BIT OF HEATH SHOWING ONLY ANOTHER TWELVE WEEKS OR LESS IF THE WEATHER HOLDS OUT KEITH AGILIS39481.2524768518 LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID

Peter Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 No. of posts: 260 View other posts by Peter	Posted: 28 Jan 2008 [QUOTE=AGILIS] PETER THEY ARE REAL GOOD STIMULATING PICS TO LOOK AT IN WINTER WITH A NICE BIT OF HEATH SHOWING ONLY ANOTHER TWELVE WEEKS OR LESS IF THE WEATHER HOLDS OUT WAS IT SURREY OR DORSET ? KEITH [/QUOTE] Hi Agilis, these particular pics were taken in Dorset. I have some Surrey pics elsewhere somewhere also which I will dig out at some point. I know what you mean about stimulation during Winter. Trouble is, since moving I have to make a 500 mile round trip to see the Heathland species. I must be mad!

AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS	Posted: 29 Jan 2008 HI Peter I thought there were a few colonies somewhere in South Wales would save on the fuel bills. like to see your Surrey pics are they from the Frensham district nothing wrong being a bit mad looking at some of the last remaining colonies of our dwindling wild life from this sadly over populated island keith AGILIS39476.1862384259 LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID

Peter Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 No. of posts: 260 View other posts by Peter	Posted: 30 Jan 2008 Keith, if there are any introduced colonies in South Wales, I don`t yet know of them. I know of a coastal site that I have often thought may possibly be suitable for sand lizards but I only know of an introduced colony in North Wales. Believe it or not, it`s a more straight forward journey for me to travel to Surrey or Dorset than North Wales. My Surrey pics are from Hankley by the way. I never did get to find sand lizards in Frensham. I must have been looking in the wrong spot. Plenty of adders and viviparous lizards whenever I did manage a look round at Frensham though.

AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS	Posted: 30 Jan 2008 HI PETER they destroyed some of the once prolific sand lizard sites at Frensham in the late 1960s/ 1970s by ploughing up most of the heath near the little pond and grange road side of the heath that once ran down almost into Tilford heath and turned it into fir tree plantations. and also let the pine trees swamp out all the heather and dunes that ran down to the edge of the little pond where large colonies once lived alas no more ,.. Hankley still has all species but the golf club keeps eroding and cutting large swathes into Hankley common and have wiped out some colonie of sand lizards I complained to the MOD but. it seems that cash and golf come first, but I think a few colonies still survive at Frensham Al Hyde or Steve Langton the Vicar would be a good ones to give an insite on Frensham as they live in the area here is pic of Hankley near the western wall were I have seen them near by before the golf club eroded bits of heath . photo taken last oct I snapped an adder in this bit of heather keith AGILIS39477.6124884259 LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID

Peter Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 No. of posts: 260 View other posts by Peter	Posted: 30 Jan 2008 Keith, have you ever seen anything interesting at Thursley? I have heard that sand lizards are present but never managed to find anything other than viviparous lizards and palmate newts. Loads of interesting dragonfly species though. Right by the road at the big pond in Frensham used to be a hot spot for adders when I spent time down that way. A bit of heath by the Basingstoke canal in Fleet was another adder and grass snake spot I used to frequent Holt pond opposite Birdworld always had a good grass snake population too.

AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS	Posted: 31 Jan 2008 hi Peter never spend enough time there only a few quick looks over the yearskeith LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID

Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar	Posted: 01 Feb 2008 Yep plenty of Sand lizards at Frensham and Hankley, but as with most Surrey sites, they are not distributed uniformally, but rather concentrated in several foci, where geology and topography best suit their needs. They are still at Thursley, but unfortunately the huge deliberate fire of 2006 destroyed the majority of their foci there. All of these heaths support all six of our native reptile species. Steve Langham - Chairman Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG).

arvensis Senior Member Joined: 15 Mar 2006 No. of posts: 445 View other posts by arvensis	Posted: 01 Jun 2008 Saw 4 Sandies by the side of the railway* between Holton Heath and Hamworthy yesterday. No camera with me unfortunately but saw a male trying his luck with a female. He had grip of her tail in his mouth, she didn't seem interested and managed to free herself and disappear in to the undergrowth, with the male in persuit. *I work on the railway and was down there doing my part in engineering works on the line, so I wasn't trespassing. Mark arvensis39600.699537037 Hampshire Amphibian and Reptile Group.

armata Forum Specialist Joined: 05 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 928 View other posts by armata	Posted: 03 Jun 2008 There are smooth snakes on that part of the line too, but near the reserve. 'I get my kicks on Route 62'

arvensis Senior Member Joined: 15 Mar 2006 No. of posts: 445 View other posts by arvensis	Posted: 07 Jun 2008 I did look but didn't see any though this was a little later on in the day. Was in almost the same place earlier today but it was a wee bit warm and only saw 1 which disappeard quickly in to the undergrowth. mark Hampshire Amphibian and Reptile Group.

- Dorset Sand Lizards

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