Bedegbury Pinetum was an idyllic backdrop for training in reptile monitoring for Forestry Commission staff and KRAG members. Organised in the context of the ‘Adders in Decline’ Project, KRAG Chairman Lee Brady delivered colourful presentations on the Kent fauna and on practical approaches to monitoring.

The event was attended by 13 people and despite a poor weather forecast when the sun came out we were able to move from the deluxe training room into the field. In this case the first patches of ‘field’ were natural islands in the Visitor’s Centre Car Park due to be redeveloped to accommodate a predicted massive increase in visitor numbers. The car park refuges had only recently been laid and perhaps not surprisingly didn’t show us any reptiles despite the rather attractive habitat with reasonable cover and good sunning spots.

We then moved on to adjacent open areas and finally to a more secluded spot where KRAG and FC staff had laid refuges at the beginning of the year. We saw plenty of viviparous lizards on a wood pile and male and females slow worms under refuges. The site also has a decent population of grass snakes but they weren’t in evidence on the day.

The course concluded with a discussion on issues about the translocation of reptiles from development sites onto Bedgebury. This highlighted the need to ensure that any ecological consultants proposing to do this should be bound tightly to good practice and any plans should be subject to professional external review.