People interested in taking part in future pond surveys might be interested in the following illustrated talk organised by the Uckfield and District Natural History Society:
Flowers of Ponds, Rivers and Marshes by Sue Buckingham
Thursday November 13th at 7.30pm at Uckfield Civic Centre (Green Room).
The Guardian article in this link in praise of toads (and our perception of them) is interesting.
The Linnean Society, with Professor Gordon McGregor Reid of the North of England Zoological Society and Dr Lesley Dickie of the Zoological Society of London, are organising a one day symposium on the above topic on 6th November 2008 at the Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1.
The programme points out that “The world’s amphibians are facing an uncertain future. Up to a third are threatened with extinction, while half of all species are in decline. While the majority of threats to frogs and their relatives are well documented in other species a recently identified amphibian specific fungal disease, Batrachochytrium dendrobatadis (Bd), is the most immediate driver of amphibian extinction globally. This symposium will detail the declines and possible solutions."
All Linnean Society meetings are open to the public as well as members of the organisation. Registration is £25 (£15 for students) and includes the program, lunch and coffee/tea breaks.
Further details: www.linnean.org/index.php?id=135
Marwell Zoological Park, near Winchester, Hampshire
COST £7. Booking essential. Light refreshments will be provided but please bring lunch
For further information or to book please contact Natalie Rogers:
Tel: 01489 774406,
Email: natalier@hwt.org.uk,
Post: Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Beechcroft House, Vicarage Lane, Curdridge, Hampshire SO30 2NS.
Please make cheques payable to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
There was an interesting article in The Independent on 13 July 2008 on American research showing that male toads on intensively farmed land are changing sex. The study may provide a clue as to why the world's amphibians are disappearing faster than any class of species since the dinosaur.
Read it here: link
A rather worrying report here in The Argus newspaper. If adders really are on the increase, that is good news but it will be a problem if people get worried about.
Dogs can be vulnerable to adders but there needs to be a sense of proportion.
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