Froglog posts news of new amphibian reserve in Colombia

Froglog is the Newsletter of the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group.The latest edition contains fascinating reports about amphibian status in sites from regions as diverse as Colombia, the Amazon Rainforest and Nigeria. Problems associated with the Chytrid fungus and the trade in amphibian species are also discussed.

The latest edition can be downloaded from www.amphibians.org

The Frog Chorus

Ponds and gardens across Surrey have been the scene of increased nocturnal activity with the arrival of warmer, wetter nights. Female common frogs (Rana temporaria) have been spawning in large numbers, accompanied by the croaking of solitary males looking for a mate.

If you have frog spawn in your Surrey garden, then please let me know! (don't forget to mention your postcode).

Email: steve@surrey-arg.org.uk

New Tins

This weekend...I have been mostly...cutting tins.



Money raised by SARG has been used to buy corrugated iron, which is cut into tins and used for reptile survey. Reptiles (particularly snakes and slow worms) bask under refugia (tins), as they cannot see the sky and feel safe from their main predators (birds). The tins warm up in the sun and allow the reptiles to gain the warmth they need to regulate their body temperature.

Reptile survey can be as simple as lifting tins to see which reptiles are underneath.

These new tins will be used to survey 40 hectares of Frensham Common, for which we have very little idea of reptile distribution. Frensham is one of our key sites in Surrey, supporting all six species of native reptiles. This site will be used for an MSc study to determine how to improve reptile survey methods.