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Refugia bedding in

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Matt Harris View Drop Down
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    Posted: 12 Sep 2012 at 11:48am
Are there any published guidelines for an average length of time that refugia should be allowed to 'bed-in' before being used for surveys? I normally say to leave them for about 2 weeks, but this is based on experience rather than guidelines that I have read. I'm looking at a survey which has allowed substantially less than a week (in October) between ACO deployment and 1st survey.
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Sep 2012 at 1:26pm
Hi Matt, you will find many references to bedding in times, such as in the Reptile Habitat Management Handbook which states they may need  'several weeks' to bed in.

Really the big factor is population density, it's certainly possible to detect high density populations in less than two weeks using refuges. (for example we have detected common lizard on the first day at many sites).

With low density populations it takes a lot longer. 

I personally think the two weeks is a good rule of thumb for the right micro climate to develop under the refuge and give some time for animals to intercept the refuge.

Though finding a definitive reference that two weeks is a minimum I think would be difficult.

Clearly though less than a week in October was a rush job and very poor practice, proving it as such will be more difficult. If the results were negative, I think you would have to build a case that the survey effort was insufficient using multiple references to bedding in times and survey timing from several publications.

Once of those cases where any good ecologist would know it was wrong, many bad consultants would know they could probably 'get away with it'.......




Edited by GemmaJF - 12 Sep 2012 at 1:38pm
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Matt Harris View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Matt Harris Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Sep 2012 at 2:37pm
Ok thanks Gemma I hadn't thought to look in there.

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Peter View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Peter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2013 at 2:37pm
Hi Matt, here`s a female grass snake that used a refugia 6 days after it was placed, not far from you in the Vale of Glamorgan.  It almost looks like an in situ shot but it isn`t!  As the refugia had been down for so short a time the vegetation was still green.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Peter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2013 at 2:38pm
Might help if I post the image!   On it`s way.....

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Peter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2013 at 2:55pm

BLF Dragonscapes Habitats officer
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
e: peter.hill@arc-trust.org
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