Heading out to survey wildlife in the dead of nightā¦ Itās always a mixture of feelings: will it be worth it? Have I got everything I need? I must admit I still get tingles of excitement! Join me as I share my latest late night endeavours to find out how our habitat work at Brankley Pastures is fairing for one of our protected amphibian species.
You might be wondering why we have to survey for newts in the dark. Well itās simple, this is when theyāre most active, when theyāre likely to be seen and when weāre most likely to attract them to our traps.
You might also be wondering why we need to survey for newts at all? So first off Iāll share a little bit of info on newts, their breeding activities and different species, before covering why we need to know if theyāre using our newly created ponds.