of woodland to be trapped were ring fenced with amphibian fencing and plastic boxes
let into the soil around the inside edge of the fence to act as pitfall traps. This work was
done between September 20 and October 23 when the newts were land based and in
their nightly foraging would wander around the fencing and fall into the traps. Daily
inspections were required and sixty-one Great Crested Newts were caught and released
into safe areas close to their respective ponds.
Three main areas were involved, the lake on the Widford side of the park with its adjacent
woodland and two wooded ponds between the lake and Hylands House. All three water
bodies are breeding sites and it was intended to keep the newts just out of range of the
forestry work but still close to their ponds.
With regard to the pond surveys, the identification of Great Crested Newts was done
largely by the netting of adults in the water in spring. This also exposed their eggs,
typically laid individually and wrapped in the leaves of water weeds. Another and perhaps
easier method is netting in June and July for their larvae. These are very distinctive
being much larger that other newt larvae, measuring some 50-60 mm. They also show
black speckles and have a tail filament (see Plate 6 inset) unlike Smooth Newt larvae,
which do not have this feature.
A key action for 2005 will be to produce a full review of the Great Crested Newt - in
1999 the Essex BAP stated that the true distribution of the species should be determined
by 2005 - we will be able to assess how far we have come since then. The last records
review was in 2001 and there were 187 records for GCN - We hope that we will top over
300 records for 2005.
Other activities of the Herpetofauna Group include a survey and now ongoing restoration
work at Chappel Viaduct ponds. Managed by the Parish Council the ponds need clearing
of overhanging trees. Large numbers of Great Crested Newts have been recorded here
in the past. Another site surveyed at Thorndon Park produced large numbers of Palmate
Newts. Some two hundred were recorded on one pond dipping session. Anew pond is
being constructed here to help this very localized species. A workshop was held at Writtle
College this past spring to assist with Great Crested Newt identification and to monitor
distribution on the college farms.
On the reptile front we have been conducting surveys of adders in Wanstead Park, Epping
Forest and the Backwarden Reserve at Danbury and we have had a good number of
Slow Worm records from the Essex Field Club website.
It is planned to produce the next Herpetofauna atlas for Essex in 2005 and this will be
produced in the Essex Naturalist - all contributors will be fully acknowledged and
everyone will receive the final collation of records. This has been delayed until now to
await the BAP Great Crested Newt survey records to be included in our report. We
22 Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 46, January 2005