Recording and identifying amphibians and reptiles goes mobile!

Isoperla Ltd has worked with Amphibian & Reptile Conservation to upgrade their award winning smartphone application HerptileId:

The application is available for use on iPhones, iPod touch and iPad.

Herptile Id is an easy to use but comprehensive field guide. All native species and introduced species are covered.

You can keep a log of reptile and amphibian sightings using the app and take a photograph too. Reptile and amphibian sightings provide important conservation information and this can be sent in real time to the ARG-UK Record Pool database automatically from the app. This information will be used to help conservation of our native species.

Rated as No3 of the top ten smart phone apps by BBC Countryfile

Download Amphibian & Reptile Conservation's guide to the UK Herpetofauna developed by Isoperla Ltd which is available through the iTunes Store today!

 

From the press release:

Experts have declared that Britain’s only venomous snake, the adder, is in urgent need of conservation action. With adder numbers declining in many areas, conservationists paint a bleak picture for its future unless help is forthcoming.

More than a hundred adder experts and conservationists have attended a special conference at Greenwich University in Chatham, Kent, to discuss ways of conserving the species. The conference was organised by Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group (KRAG) on behalf of a national network of conservation groups, Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK (ARG UK).

Attendees voted unanimously to adopt a motion that:

‘The adder is in more urgent need of new conservation efforts than any other reptile or amphibian species in Britain.’

Despite its widespread distribution across the whole of Britain, adder numbers are thought to be declining rapidly in many areas. The species is already extinct from whole counties such as Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire. The adder conference held on Saturday 19 November 2011 saw speakers come from across Britain, as well as France and Switzerland, to give their interpretations of the situation facing adders in their area.

‘It was a great success, and amazing to see so many people who care about saving adders. Hopefully now help is at hand,’ - Gail Austen-Price, KRAG Chairman.

 

One of the biggest threats facing adders today is accidental damage or destruction of their winter hibernation sites. Adders often hibernate communally in mammal burrows or under tree roots, and if such a place is damaged, a whole population can be wiped out.

Despite nature conservation being implemented on thousands of protected sites across Britain, it is often these sites where adders suffer the most. Well-meaning activities such as scrub clearance can have unforeseen consequences that are devastating for hibernating adders. The ARG UK adder conference set a milestone by announcing that the adder’s plight is reaching a critical point, and now is the time for government bodies and conservation organisations to take action. ARG UK now plans to set up a website for a flagship survey project called Make the Adder Count, where volunteers monitor adder numbers at their local sites. ARG UK also wants to set up a register of hibernation sites, to alert local authorities and other countryside managers of these crucial locations. Conservationists admit that adders suffer from a poor public image, and the next step is to produce a battle plan to raise awareness and appreciation.

'The adder is an enigmatic snake, steeped in history and folklore from the druids to Shakespeare and Arthurian legend. It would be tragic to see it disappear, but it suffers from a public image problem that makes it difficult for many people to love,’ -  Dr Chris Gleed-Owen.

 

 

In Kent, KRAG has been monitoring local adder populations for many years. Despite significant efforts to raise awareness within the county, adders remain vulnerable to disturbance and persecution. Our 'Adders in Decline' Project may have been initiated 7 years ago, but its work has barely begun...

If you share our concerns about the plight of what is surely one Britain's most exciting wild animals please get in touch. KRAG needs active volunteers who are prepared to help record the location of adders, talk to landowners and help convince conservation organisations that the adder is a species worth conserving.

Book your place at the ARGUK SE Regional Meeting to be hosted by KRAG and London ARG at the Medway Campus of University of Greenwich on Saturday, November 19th.  The programme is nearly finalised and will focus on adder conservation.  Highlights include a review of the ground breaking work in adder conservation taking place in both Kent and Surrey as well as presentations from KRAG's European partners, Conservatoire des Sites Natureles and the University of Basel.

We are now accepting bookings so don't miss out.  The cost is £10 for members of an Amphibian and Reptile Group and £20 for all others.  Price includes lunch and refreshments.  For more information contact Mike Phillips.

Download the booking form here.

The Royal Horticultural Society and The Wildlife Trusts and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation are asking bonfire night celebrators to look out for toads and frogs before they light their fires.

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/2011/10/21/toad-appeal

Remember, remember the amphibians on the 5th of November!

You can download a more detailed report here.

To download the flier click here.

"Last weekend I was staying on one of my favourite Kent campsites. Its not unusual for a weekend there to be accompanied by a chorus of croaking marsh frogs but I'd never managed to get a good clear view of them before. I usually only see their back legs dissappearing into the pond with a loud plop as I approach the pond. This time though, I was determined to get some good photos as the campsite is closing this year and I might not get another chance. I settled myself down by the edge of the pond and waited for the frogs to re-appear. Over the next hour or so I was treated to a wonderful display of amphibian behaviour including courtship and feeding. And all it took was a little patience!"

Thanks to Lucy for submitting the story and these amazing photos.  If you have seen (or heard) marsh frogs please let us know by submitting your records.