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Reptiles
Both the Grass Snake and the Adder can be
found in the parish, neither are common, but records of both appear most years.
Grass Snakes is the more common, often found near garden ponds where they hunt
for small fish, frogs or newts. Grass Snakes are harmless. Adder sighting seems
to be limited to Berrow Hill, Collins Green or the Pudford ridge. Never common,
they feed on voles, mice and small birds. Although they will bite, they normally
move before they are seen.
Slow Worm or Blind Worm, is a common legless lizard, feeding
on most garden pests. A thriving colony can be seen in St. Peters churchyard.
There are no records of any other lizards being found in the parish.
| Amphibia. Common Frogs are found at most of the damp locations in the parish and many garden ponds have a small population, often introduced. Common Toad, as this amphibian is mainly nocturnal, it is often missed but it does exist in good numbers throughout the area. They rest up during the day in any old damp hole or crevasse, often favouring rockeries. It feeds on most garden pests, including young mice and fallen fledglings. |
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Common
or Smooth Newts as the name suggests are found in many of the older
ponds during the breeding season, early spring, after this they can be found
in any damp part of the garden, often under bricks. They are only found in water
during their breeding cycle and are often confused with Lizards in summer, like
all amphibians they hibernate during the winter.
Palmate Newts differ from Common Newt, males by having webbed
hind feet and a filament at the end of a truncated tail, while the females have
no spots on the throat. They also spend a longer period in the water than Common
Newts.
Great Crested Newts. This is the rarest of British Newts, there
is only one proven colony in the Parish, but others may exist. Great Crested
Newts are much larger that the other species, almost twice as long, they also
have a tendency to remain in the water throughout the year.
By kind permission of Brian Draper M.B E
Page created by Lynne Stanley
E-mail Lynne@martley.org
Last updated 14/9/05