Get involved

Photo © Jon Cranfield

News

Based in the Newry, Mourne and Down District, Dragons in the Hills has been awarded £100,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to find out more about Northern Ireland’s own little dragons – our three native amphibians and reptiles: common frog, common lizard and smooth…

Read more: Dragons in the Hills - project updates from Northern Ireland

Whats in Your Pond? - record your frogs, newts and common lizards here  The National Lottery Heritage Fund are supporting a new project based in Northern Ireland which aims to conserve some of our priority wildlife species through community action. This exciting new project has…

Read more: Dragons in the Hills - connecting communities with their natural heritage, and conserving amphibians and reptiles in Northern Ireland

Ponds are great!

As well as providing vital habitat for our native amphibians, ponds also support a diversity of other native wildlife including reptiles (especially grass snakes), invertebrates and provide a vital water source for wild birds and mammalian visitors. However, pond creation can be…

Read more: Wildlife Pond Construction and Habitat Creation on an Allotment in Norfolk

  pdf Download the full article here: (2.60 MB) Many volunteer adder surveyors are reporting seeing fewer adders (Vipera berus) on study sites, and concerns have been expressed that adder declines may be widespread, and even affecting the sustainability of national adder…

Read more: Vanishing Viper 2019: A European approach to developing an adder conservation strategy

Over the past few years RAVON our herpetological colleagues in the Netherlands, have been developing their conservation programme for the native grass snake (Natrix helvetica).  This programme has included specific habitat management for grass snakes, to enhance their breeding success and thereby increase the sustainability of…

Read more: Creating grass snake egg-laying heaps – the ‘RAVON Recipe’

With apologies for the distressing image! As the summer progresses, we are getting reports of common toads, affected by a parasitic blow fly or ‘toad fly’. Although there are over 1,000 species of blowfly worldwide, and a number of other species of Luciliahave been associated…

Read more: Look out for toad fly this summer

At this time of year, you may see adders basking in the open, particularly along coastal paths where there is heathland (heather and gorse), or in sand dunes, and on sunny south facing slopes. Adders are very timid and are in real danger of becoming…

Read more: Keeping everyone safe - Our adder code 'Stop, Step Back and Smile'

We pleased to announce the launch of the 'Atlas of the Amphibians & Reptiles of Warwickshire - Vice County 38 Records up to 2018'. WART is a voluntary group that works in partnership with the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) and is affiliated to the Amphibian and Reptile…

Read more: Atlas of the Amphibians & Reptiles of Warwickshire (Vice County 38 Records) up to 2018

The good news is the UK’s wild newt populations seem to be free from a flesh-eating lethal fungus known to be prevalent in privately-owned amphibians across Western Europe, a nationwide investigation has found.   pdf The full paper can be  downloaded here (1003 KB)…

Read more: Wildlife conservation charity urges private amphibian traders to prevent Bsal fungus from infecting wild populations

The adder could all but disappear from the UK countryside by 2032, according to new research conducted with the help of citizen scientists.   pdf Download the full press release here (193 KB) The findings, published in The Herpetological Journal, are the culmination of…

Read more: Press Release: First study of national adder population trends reveals adders are facing near extinction in Britain

A legacy of a joy for nature - In Memorium to Madeleine Parnwell

In 2018 Steve Parnwell of Cambridge and Peterborough ARG, brought us the sad news of the tragic loss of his wife in a road accident, one night a few weeks before Christmas of…

Read more: Madeleine's Patch - 100% support from ARG UK

by Andrew Heaton, County Recorder for Amphibians and Reptiles, LARN The LARN (Leicestershire & Rutland, Amphibian and Reptile Network) network have been working in partnership with those with an interest and enthusiasm for the amphibians and reptiles of the two counties to produce a review…

Read more: Amphibians and Reptiles in Leicestershire and Rutland: A Review (2018)

On Saturday 22 September we joined with our wider wildlife community in Hyde Park to hear more about Chris Packham’s new ‘A People’s Manifesto for Wildlife’, and march to Downing Street to deliver it to the seat of Government. Chris has mobilised the biggest peaceful…

Read more: Chris Packham's - A People's Manifesto for Wildlife

  Chytridiomycosis (Chytrid) has been responsible for mass mortalities of amphibians with declines and extinctions on six continents, including Europe. Until recently, most pathogenic outbreaks of Chytrid were associated with the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). However, since 2013 a newly described species B. salamandrivorans ( =…

Read more: Bsal - a deadly new newt disease on our doorstep!

by Steve Allain, Cambridge & Peterborough ARG (CPARG) On Saturday 9thJune, herpetologists from all over the UK gathered in Glasgow for a very special occasion. The Glasgow Natural History Society, in conjunction with Clyde ARG, had organised a fantastic line-up of herpetologically themed talks for…

Read more: Two herp conferences in 10 days - Christmas has come early!

More Articles ...