RAUK - Archived Forum - Reptile management: photo challenge!

(With apologies for the long post. Read on if you take photos at reptile sites...)

As many of you will know, The Herpetological Conservation Trust and Natural England are currently working on the ôReptile Habitat Management Handbookö. This will be a colour A4 guide aimed at site managers and those who advise them. The emphasis is on providing clear, positive management advice to encourage reptile interests to be considered at a wider range of sites than is currently the case. It will be available as a paper copy as well as a PDF version, and there will be supporting advice on The HCTÆs website.

Paul Edgar is leading on this for The HCT, and I for Natural England. We ran a workshop at the recent Herp WorkersÆ Meeting in Coventry, with lots of excellent ideas from participants on content for (and promotion of) the handbook. The handbook is coming together nicely, and we are now selecting images to illustrate key points.

HereÆs the challenge. There remain a few topics for which we are short of really good images. RAUK seems to be blessed with contributors who know their way round a camera, so we wondered whether you could help us fill in the gaps. The photos need to very clearly demonstrate key issues for reptile management.

We are looking for photos to illustrate the following:

- Wide angle shots showing reptiles in their habitat

- Good close-up shots showing whole animal

- Chalk grassland in good condition for reptiles

- Good wetland sites for grass snakes

- Broadleaved woodland, Caledonian pine forest, wet woodland, good ride structure

- Pasture showing good features for reptiles

- Garden showing good features for reptiles

- Brash heaps

- Changes to reptile habitat over time (esp fixed point photos), demonstrating especially positive or negative trends

- Photos clearly showing how management has damaged or improved a particular habitat feature

- Birds that might benefit from reptile management (eg Dartford warbler, nightjar)

- Small mammals

- Horse-riding impacts on reptile habitats

- Military training impacts.

Simply post any likely images in response to this message. Once weÆve had a look through, we will be in touch about any images which really capture what weÆre after. Obviously, if you have already sent images to Paul (and we thank the many who have) donÆt bother re-posting them here.

We need to get these images together soon, so please post them by 9 March at the latest.

Gemma kindly provided me with some helpful hints about uploading images - please bear these in mind when you post:

a) keep the images to a maximum of 800 pixels width (700 pixels looks best on most monitors)

b) the upload facility is limited to 500 Kb

c) for the purposes of this challenge images should *not* be emailed to admin for mounting on the forums. But you can find a detailed help section on the subject at:

http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum_faqs.asp#Pictures

IÆm afraid we cannot pay for publication of the images (though, of course, all photographers will be duly acknowledged in the handbook). However, we hope that anyone posting images we do use will at least feel a warm glow at seeing their images in what will hopefully be a valued and influential publication. And whatever people post should be of interest to RAUK users, whether the images get used or not.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to post. Let the challenge begin!

Jim Foster & Paul Edgar.

Well you get a prize for the first one Steve, welcome to the ABVC (are you already a member, I can't remember, you must be, LOL)

Lovely pics

Here are my efforts for brash heaps: (I have much higher resolution files, so they could be reproduced at high quality)

Hi Tony, Don't panic, Don't panic, LOL.

Seems like the URLs for photobucket are not working, but you are almost there!

Check you have the images in the photobucket account and the address, we currently have for example

**http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/Caudalis/th_B-1.jpg **

Which the photobucket website reports it cannot find

Though it isn't quite working, it is close

OK Tony, it is something to do with the last part of the address, this one is actually *** http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/Caudalis/32yrvbfem.jp g**

Have another go at the other one

I will get some of my photos up here which show habitat management works, some animals, wetland photos for grass snakes etc I need to be on my other computer mind so I will post over the next few days

Jon

She is a beauty Tony, you not coming back just to see the old girl at some time?

Ok,

for example, the two shots above show how devastating the over use of cattle can be. The grass is cropped so short that could play football on it (the aim of the practice I sometimes think) and the heather has been irrepairably damaged. If you think irrepably is a strong word, next is a photo I took the following year. The heather is still dead and in danger of being swamped by grasses.

and here it is

and before the intro of cattle...... A grassie paradise.