Citizen Science

Sand Lizards

November 1, 2024 by Admin

Written by Eve Goddard, Transforming Lives Trainee

Sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) are among the most fascinating reptiles found in the UK. Known for their striking appearance, males are particularly vibrant during the breeding season, sporting bright green flanks, while females and juveniles display a more muted brown and green palette, perfect for camouflage in their sandy habitats!

These lizards predominantly inhabit sandy heathlands and coastal dunes, making them an essential part of these fragile ecosystems. They thrive in warm, dry conditions where they can bask in the sun, which is crucial for their metabolic processes. Sand lizards feed on insects such as spiders, beetles, and ants. Their hunting technique involves a combination of stealth and quick strikes, demonstrating their agility and speed.

Mating typically occurs in spring, and females lay clutches of 5 to 12 eggs in the summer. These eggs are buried in loose sand, where they incubate for around 8 to 10 weeks. The hatchlings emerge in late summer, often facing a tough start as they must avoid numerous predators, including birds and larger reptiles.

Despite their resilience, sand lizards face significant threats in the UK. Habitat loss due to urban development, agricultural expansion, and changes in land use have severely impacted their populations. Additionally, climate change poses a further risk by altering the delicate ecosystems they depend on. Burgeoning deer populations also pose a threat due to the rise in the number of ticks. In their early growth stages, ticks feed on sand lizards. A large infestation of ticks can be detrimental for a sand lizard with a compromised immune system or when trying to build strength and size for the winter hibernation.

Conservation efforts are critical to ensuring their survival, with various organizations actively working to protect and restore their habitats. Designated sites like nature reserves play a vital role in providing safe environments for these reptiles to thrive.

In recent years, reintroduction projects have also been implemented in areas where sand lizards have vanished. These initiatives aim to bolster existing populations and restore genetic diversity.

How can you help sand lizard conservation? Well, knowledge is power in conservation! If you spot a sand lizard, record your findings on our Dragon Finder App to help us to continue to monitor existing populations and contribute to nationwide conservation efforts.

A Garden Pond Over 19 Years

September 1, 2024 by Admin

Written by Johanna Griffin

People often say it would be nice to record what’s going on in their wildlife gardens and its really easy to become a Citizen Scientist and gather information that is useful to organisations such as Froglife. Jo Griffin has been keeping records of what’s going on in her pond for nearly 20 years and Froglife are looking to see if they can provide additional information about how frogs are responding to temperature changes across the UK. In this article Jo outlines her work and shows how simple record keeping and regular surveying over long periods can provide a valuable indication of how that natural world fluctuates and changes and may be of importance as a way of monitoring changes to species distribution and abundance.

I was so excited to see a garden pond with frog spawn in it, together with two adult frogs climbing up the waterfall, when we went to view the potential new home for a viewing. It clinched the deal-we had to buy this property! The pond was very new then- the maximum possible age was 3 years. The garden was sparse at the time and situated on a slope with sapling trees behind the garden in open space, leading to the foothills of the Ochil Hills of Clackmannanshire. (The wee county with the long name)! We planted more shrubs and trees and over the last 19 years the garden has matured beyond all recognition. The saplings behind the garden, (planted sometime around 2002) are now VERY tall, mature trees in what has become a woodland habitat supporting all manner of wildlife.

I have always been fascinated by frogs since childhood. (Remember trying to ‘hypnotise’ them by gently stroking their noses when their heads popped up to the surface?!) Having my own garden pond at last was therefore very exciting, and I look forward each year to the frenzied activity of mating frogs filling the pond in what I term ‘frog-fest’! I have kept records since 2005 of the date of first spawn appearing, and other interesting observations, such as the maximum number of frogs visible in the pond at the time that I was looking out of the kitchen window. Some years it was necessary to video the pond in order to count the huge numbers of frogs accurately. (They keep diving and swimming across the pond…..it makes counting very difficult)!

The pond is roughly triangular in shape and holds approximately 1848 litres of water. There is plenty of mud on the bottom, and despite vigorous efforts to remove so-called ‘dwarf’ water lilies, which have taken over much of the surface, enough of the rhizomes remained to grow again this season. The underside of these lily pads attract small leeches when in contact with the water. Brooklime, water forget-me-not and duckweed cover the remaining surface currently.


The pond when new in 2007	The pond now in August 2024	Plenty of tadpoles

Below is a table of First Spawning dates, with notes on the maximum number of frogs
counted at any one time during the day:

Year	Date of first spawning	Notes
2005	18th March
2006	19th March	Greater water boatmen infesting pond
2007	26th February	44 frogs seen at lunchtime
2008	24th February	70-80 frogs during day. (Mass migration of frogs crossing A91 at 22.45hrs on 01/04/08)
2009	26th February	60-70 frogs during day
2010	12th March	53 frogs seen sunny lunchtime. 1 taken by heron! No tadpoles left in pond by 18/04/10. Pond froze over twice after spawn was laid. (Mass migration of frogs crossing A91 from River Devon to farmland on other side of road. Loads were squashed unfortunately)
2011	7th March	32 frogs during the day. By 29th May most of tadpoles missing from pond.
2012	Sometime between 17:00, 29th Feb and noon 4th March	103 in pond on sunny day. Not many tadpoles survived however. Blanket weed problem?
2013	6th March	80+ frogs seen on sunny lunchtime. Great year for tadpole survival. An unusual year- frogs came and spawned in 3 distinct waves over several weeks. Exceptionally cold weather this March.
2014	10th March	60+ frogs. Best tadpole survival yet. 1/06/14- loads of froglets with varying lengths of tail hopping around the fern and dianthus plants on patio. Mass movement of froglets from pond to garden and beyond on 13/06/14. Awkward sideways flopping movement noted. Does the tail unbalance them? Best year yet for tadpoles ad successful dispersal from pond. 16/06/14-all gone from pond.
2015	5th March	50+ frogs seen in pond.
2016	10th March	Approx. 40 frogs seen.
2017	24th February	50-60 frogs
2018	11th March	24 frogs only seen
2019	1st March	13 frogs only. Lowest number of frogs yet.
2020	8th March	Approx. 25 frogs. (Nearby house had 1st spawning on this date too).
2021	1st March	Max. of 32 frogs seen during the day
2022	Sometime between 12th and 16th March	Max. of 20 frogs
2023	22nd February	Max of 28 frogs seen in afternoon. Approx. 11 individual spawnings counted.
2024	29th February	45 frogs seen during day

Invasive Species Week: 20th-26th May 2024

May 9, 2024 by Admin

Many people are unaware that alongside climate change and habitat loss, another major threat to species biodiversity is the increase in the number of non-native, invasive species appearing around the world.

Non-native species often appear through accidental transport or by the release of pets, but they rarely survive or come into contact with con-specifics to establish a colony. If they do come into contact with others of the same species and reproduce, the outcome tends to be a small localised colony, held in place by geographical, environmental, predatory or climate barriers.

In some cases a non-native species may not have those checks or controls in place and takes the opportunity to exploit a new niche or out-compete an existing species resulting in an invasive species becoming established and often taken for granted as a national species such as the grey squirrel, Canada goose, marsh frog or the three-cornered leek.

There are currently believed to be over 3000 non-native species living in the UK; and this graph from the JNCC shows the recent rapid increase in invasive non-native species.

A species is considered ‘invasive’ if it has the ability to spread and damage the environment, the economy, our health or the way we live. Invasives can have a significant impact as predators, competitors (for food or breeding sites) or can carry disease that impacts our native species. In 2023 the Government published a new UK invasive species strategy. Part of the strategy includes ‘horizon scanning’- the ability to look at potential ‘invasives’ that could be a problem were they to reach the UK, or that are already present and could become a problem as a result of climate change or other environmental changes.

Some species are significant risks and are considered to be GB ‘alert’ species with a request to record and notify whenever sighted; the Asian hornet, a predator of native bee colonies is one such species along with the American bullfrog.

The Non-Native Species Information Portal (NNSIP) provides access to distribution data as well as additional information such as place or origin, date of introduction and methods of introduction. It also provides much more detailed information on 300 species, including information on identification, impacts and control methods.

During Invasive Species Week we want to raise awareness of invasive species of reptiles and amphibians and see if we can increase our information by gathering records of non-native as well as native species using our Dragon Finder App. You can download the app for free here.

All data from the Dragon Finder App is shared with the National Biodiversity Network Atlas.

Croaking Science: 10 Years of Garden Wildlife Health

February 1, 2024 by Admin

112 people signed up to watch the Wildlife Garden Health project celebrate its 10 year anniversary with four online presentations. Dr. Andrew Smart, Froglife Conservation & Science Manager spoke about how Froglife engages with Citizen Scientists who report diseased or dead reptiles and amphibians and how that data can be used.

Froglife has a long history of involvement in this area being involved in setting up the Frog Mortality Project which ran from the early 1990’s to 2013 when the Froglife and the Zoological Society of London project joined up with the RSPB and BTO to form the Garden Wildlife Health project.

With new diseases and risks to reptile and amphibian health, such as Perkinsea and Snake Fungal Disease appearing in the UK in recent years, Andrew stressed the importance of the amphibian and retile disease data and how valuable records are. Anyone with a record of a diseased or dead reptile or amphibian or any records of multiple mortality during this year’s spawning events should contact Garden Wildlife Health. The presentation will be uploaded to the ZSL YouTube channel in the future.

It’s also important to send us in records of healthy reptiles and amphibians that you find. By downloading the Dragon Finder App you can send us a picture of what you have found and add valuable information to the National Biodiversity Database which our Dragon Finder data is shared with. You can also use the online map (at the bottom of the Dragon Finder App web page- image below) to look at recent records in your area to see what to look out for, to visit areas with no records to see what you can find or, if you live in areas with no records, send us pictures of the reptiles and amphibians in your gardens or local green spaces.

See the Dragon Finder app data on our interactive map

The secret lives of toads in trees

July 7, 2022 by Admin

New research published today, on 7th July 2022, in PLOS ONE has discovered the extent to which common toads live in trees. It is the first time that the tree climbing potential of amphibians has been investigated at a national scale.

Researchers from Froglife and the University of Cambridge, supported by wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), made the surprising discovery when common toads were found in nest boxes and tree cavities by volunteers who were looking for hazel dormice and bats as part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) and the Bat Tree Habitat Key project (BTHK).

Common toads are regarded as typical terrestrial amphibians and as such are known to spend their time both on land and in water during breeding. To date there have only been a handful of documented sightings of common toads in trees.

Consequently, common toads and in general UK amphibians have never been surveyed for in trees, unlike bat and dormouse surveys which specifically target such habitat. This study highlights the importance of sharing data between conservation organisations representing different species, and shows that there’s a lot to learn about wildlife in the UK – even those we think of as well-known.

Nida Al-Fulaij, Conservation Research Manager at PTES said: “We couldn’t believe what we found. We’re used to discovering woodland birds and other small mammals in nest boxes but we hadn’t considered finding amphibians in them.”

Over 50 records of common toads were found in surveys of hazel dormice nest boxes (located 1.5m above ground) and tree cavities usually used by bats. The highest record of a toad was found 3m up a tree. The surveys do not regularly involve looking in tree hollows much higher but there’s a chance that toads might be venturing even further up. Many of the cavities were small or not visible from the ground, so it is unclear how toads are finding them and how difficult it is for them to climb particular trees.

Toads were not found in boxes or tree holes with other species, however they were found using old nests made by dormice and even birds. Whilst 50 records isn’t a huge number, it was comparable to records of other animals we know use trees regularly such as blue tits, suggesting that perhaps toads are much more arboreal than we previously thought. If this is true, it means that common toads could be found in up to 1 in every 100 or so trees in the UK in particularly favourable areas, such as near large ponds or lakes.

Common toad in nest box: Credit Matt Bramwich

The exciting discovery of arboreal behaviour in common toads means that tree cavities might represent an even more important ecological feature than conservationists thought. It highlights the importance of protecting our remaining natural woodland habitats, especially ancient trees with veteran features (such as hollows, cracks and other natural cavities) for all wildlife. Froglife research in 2016 showed that common toads have declined by 68% on average over the last 30 years across the UK.

It isn’t currently known why toads are climbing trees and using nest boxes. Factors could include searching for food, avoiding predators or evading parasites (such as toad fly).

First author Dr Silviu Petrovan, Trustee at Froglife and Senior Researcher at the University of Cambridge says: “These findings are significant and very exciting for our understanding of the ecology and conservation of common toads, one of the most widespread and abundant European amphibians. We know common toads favour woodlands as foraging and wintering habitat, but it appears their association with trees is much more complex that we thought.”

“It also highlights the importance of collaborations and sharing data between conservation groups. Further, targeted research will enable scientists to better understand the reasons for this behaviour and the impact on woodland management for common toads and other amphibians.”

We are calling on members of the public to record any sightings they have of amphibians in trees on our Dragon Finder App (including the details in the comments section of the report) or to contact us directly at: info@froglife.org

What our animals are doing this month …

April 26, 2022 by Admin

Springtime is a great time of year to try and spot a common lizard – so why not give it a go? Adult lizards emerge from their hibernation sites in early spring, with mating taking place around April/May. Females incubate their eggs inside their bodies and give birth to up to 11 live young later in the summer.

These fascinating reptiles are usually up to 15cm long and are often mistaken for newts (even though the common lizard has scaly skin rather than smooth skin). They are usually a brown colour, but they can be yellow, green or even black! Common lizards also have a pattern of spots or stripes down their back with males having a yellow or orange belly with black spots and females having a pale, unspotted belly.

This species is widespread throughout the UK, including Ireland, but can be quite hard to spot! They are agile and fast and will move away quickly if they have spotted you, so you will have to be extra quiet if you want to see one. Try looking further ahead rather than right in front of you. Download our ‘Surveying for Reptiles’ booklet for free from our website for more tips.

Where to spot them: The common lizard is mainly a ground dweller, but you can sometimes see them climbing. They like sunny, dry, exposed areas near dense cover so they can hide if they need to. Their favourite meals are worms, slugs, and insects – yum!

They also have the ability to lose their tails if being chased by a predator! How clever is that? They will be able to regrow their tail, but it is never as good as the original.

Living in Scotland and want to try and spot one? Flanders Moss near Stirling is a very good place to start!

Always remember to record your amphibian and reptile sightings on our FREE Dragon Finder app. All of the data collected is sent to the National Biodiversity Network Atlas. You can download the app here.

Citizen Science

Footer

Contact us