2 years ago, in mid-summer, Gary Powell from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation came to UWNR - we did a long slow walk of the land, ostensibly on the look-out for Adders. There is a resident pair, but they are very elusive at the best of times & that day Gary and I drew a blank. At the end of our time together I asked Gary what was missing - what habitat should I consider creating, to benefit amphibians and reptiles? His suggestion was to dig a pond in the middle of the woodland. Last week, Patrick Carew (my helpful and lovely brother-in-law, driving the dumper) and I (operating the digger), did just that….
The logic underpinning this project……
The lake at UWNR has become a very significant breeding habitat for Frogs & Toads. One night, late last March, I stopped counting when I got to 92 blinking-eyed-faces, beaming back at my head-lamp. The lake was a mass of gently swimming Frogs - they going about their mating rituals. Mating and spawning, for both Frogs and Toads, is regulated by water temperature. The lake at UWNR is directly south facing with abundant shelter to the north, east and west. So it warms quickly with the onset of spring.
The missing habitat for Frogs at UWNR - a winter pond to hibernate in, set in the main woodland - cold, calm, dark & with a bed of rotting leaf litter. Frogs breed and hibernate in different ponds & lakes - now UWNR has the optimum aquatic variety for this under pressure species.
Once spawning is completed, frogs slowly migrate back to their hibernating pond, eating and gaining weight as they travel (sometimes up to 3 miles!). They submerse themselves in late-autumn and begin their hibernation consuming fat, laid down over the summer. They bury themselves, deep into the watery leave litter, breathing through their skin. They re-emerge in early spring. UWNR now has a perfect range of habitats enabling Frogs to complete their life cycle.
A burgeoning amphibian population will support the grass snakes, kingfishers & herons who all predate on these creatures, and it is likely that the new woodland pond will provide additional habitat for bats and dragonflies.