Last year Anne began a programme of reptile monitoring on both reserves. Following fairly standard reptile survey methodology she numbered corrugated sheets and situated them around the reserves to act as safe reptile refuge.Seeing as we were out on Lodmoor's salt marsh on Monday (checking that our eel ladder was functioning in advance of the glass eel influx and that the cattle trough feeder pipe was flowing), it seemed as good a time as any to check for reptiles.
Pleasingly of the 7 correx (roofing) sheets lifted 4 were concealing slow worms or - to use their entirely more accurate name - legless lizards.
We have small populations of common lizards and grass snakes added to slow worms but it is likely that they are well under recorded given that all three will take pains to avoid human interactions, but we are hopeful that these ongoing surveys will give a clearer picture of what's occurring on the reptile front.
The vegetation piles besides the path to North Hide are to provide nesting material for grass snakes as they lay their eggs in decomposing vegetation as the heat generated provides natural incubation. This is a part of the reserve relatively well populated with grass snakes and it is hoped that the wood piles, vegetation piles and all the new amphibian pools (frogs are a favoured meal) will only improve their lot in Weymouth.
As now is the time that reptiles are getting active and amorous it is a prime time to see them basking early in the day and we will be very interested to hear of your sightings to build up our records.
A Lodmoor legless lizard.
A 2010 Lodmoor grass snake.
I have been looking this year and have seen reptiles mainly on the tip side in the rough ground, there have been lizards and grassnakes
Can this glass eel phenomenon be observed by visitors? Sounds fascinating.