Are breeding newts still active?
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Topic: Are breeding newts still active?
Posted By: steven betts
Subject: Are breeding newts still active?
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2013 at 3:22pm
Although we are now experiencing lovely weather, the early part of the year was particularly poor. This appears to have resulted in a delayed start to the great crested newt breeding season this year (certainly in the north) and so i was wondering if this has also resulted in a breeding period that has become extended more than would normally be expected. Are surveyors still finding good numbers of breeding newts and/or their eggs in ponds?
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Steven Betts
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Replies:
Posted By: will
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2013 at 7:25pm
Hi Steven
Newts did get off to a slow start, as you say, and I am still finding GCN adults in ponds in London and Hertfordshire (therefore down south!) Of course adult GCN can be found throughout the year in some ponds some of the time, but I do think that adults (especially females) were delayed in breeding and I have seen females egg laying until about a week ago. On the other hand, early cohort larvae seem fairly well grown and have made up for lost time to some extent, though perhaps still a couple of weeks off where we would expect them to be in terms of development in a more normal year. It will be interesting to see when they metamorphose - my frog tadpoles are now emerging in large numbers, roughly 3-4 weeks later than usual, but spawning was a full 6 weeks later than usual this year. I guess that nature is resilient, to a point, at least.
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