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Sand Lizard Reintroduced into Kent: |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351  View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 14 Sep 2004 HCT and Kent Wildlife Trust have teamed up to organise a reintroduction of sand lizard in Kent. The site selected is Sandwich and Pegwell Bay and 50 juveniles were released today. Read about it here. Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Vicar Senior Member Joined: 02 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1181 View other posts by Vicar |
Posted: 15 Sep 2004 Sweet ! Out of interest....why was this time of year chosen ?...won't they be looking to hibernate soon(ish) ? Steve Langham - Chairman 
Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group (SARG). |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 15 Sep 2004 I suspect that the animals were released now for simple logistical reasons. Juvenile reptiles represent the dispersal stage for many species and relocation/translocation/reintroduction work that involves juveniles is usually considered more likely to result in a successful project. If you think about it, juvenile sand lizards are hatching right now. There is significant mortality of first year individuals under natural conditions. The animals released at Sandwich have probably been kept in captivity for a little while in order to ensure that they are well fed and healthy. The question now is can the site support them? Has enough work been done to identify why sand lizards went extinct on the site? What management decisions will be made for the site? I actually have no inside knowledge of this project since it is being organised by HCT and KWT. However, I do hope to learn more about the project in due course. Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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-LAF Senior Member Joined: 03 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 317 View other posts by -LAF |
Posted: 15 Sep 2004 I was there this summer and was thinking it looked like a good place! Had a look aroundjust in case (not for very long mind) as there seemed to be historical records from Pegwell Bay and couldn't see any obvious reasons why they might have dissappeared (There is that bloody big powerstation mind, I guess the building of that was destructive). Didn't see anything but might do in a few years from now! Great stuff. Lee. Lee Fairclough |
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-LAF Senior Member Joined: 03 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 317 View other posts by -LAF |
Posted: 15 Sep 2004 Out of interest, has Pegwell bay been 'tinned' or survey in otherways to confirm the dissappearance there? On a different note, there are Egrets resident there and it's a great place to see them. Lee. Lee Fairclough |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 15 Sep 2004 As far as I am aware no detailed survey work has been undertaken at the release site in Sandwich... I am actually quite interested in following up some of the historical sand lizard records for Kent. One of my target sites is Folkestone Warren. I receive the odd interesting observation from people who should know what they are talking about. In fact I'm out there again tomorrow. Check my blog for updates on this type of survey. Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
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calumma Senior Member Joined: 27 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 351 View other posts by calumma |
Posted: 16 Sep 2004 If you follow the BBC link you will say that it states: "Fifty rare reptiles have been released back into their native habitat in Kent after an absence of over a century." The last 'official' record for sand lizard in Kent is from 1969, and Keith C reckons they were present in Sandgate in the mid-1970's. Don't you just love journalists... Lee Brady Kent Herpetofauna Recorder | Independent Ecological Consultant |
- Sand Lizard Reintroduced into Kent |