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THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 1994


Bryan P. Wainwright
Smooth Newt Triturus vulgaris
24th April                    4 Chadwick Dyke colliery area
25th April                    2 Chadwick Dyke colliery area
30th April                    4 N-S dyke colliery spoil tip

 


Common Toad Bufo bufo
27th March                  11 dead, 3 alive Inkle Moor Pond
30th March                  minute string of spawn Inkle Moor Pond
01st April                    1 Inkle Moor Pond
08th April                    1 Paraffin dyke

 


Common Frog Rana temporaria
27th March                  1 clump of spawn Inkle Moor Pond
08th April                    1 colliery spoil tip dyke
01st May                     1 Swinefleet Warping Drain
08th May                     1 2nd summer froglet Chadwick Dyke colliery area

 


List of Observers  
Steve Hiner, Bryan P. Wainwright.

 

 

THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 1995


Smooth Newt
15th April                    7 Chadwick Dyke colliery area
15th April                    2 N-S dyke colliery spoil tip

 


Common Toad
15th April                    none Inkle Moor Pond

 


Common Frog
15th April                    1 clump of spawn Inkle Moor Pond

 


List of Observers
Steve Hiner, Bryan P. Wainwright.

 

 

THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 1996


No records received.

 


THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 1997
Smooth Newt
The N-S dyke where newts are found this year was heavily choked with oxygen depriving mats of algae, caused by excess fertiliser run off from arable fields. Chadwick Dyke was less affected and so was more favoured by the newts.
22nd March     4, 1 N-S dyke colliery spoil tip, 3 Chadwick Dyke colliery area
23rd March                 9 males and 3 females concrete sump colliery buildings

 


Common Toad
Of the 34 live toads, three were close to death having turned almost white, and floated. They each had identical cuts above and behind the left eye, as if pecked by a bird. No spawn was found this year, though with so few females, a small amount may have been missed.
16th March      35, 31 males and 3 females Inkle Moor Pond
10th April                    1 male heard at dyke near English Nature shed Will Pits Scrape, croaking 
27th April                    1 male heard at dyke near English Nature shed Will Pits Scrape, croaking

 


Common Frog
Frogs continue to be uncommon.
16th March                  1 adult, no spawn Inkle Moor Pond

 


List of Observers 
Steve Hiner, Martin Limbert, Bryan P. Wainwright.

 


THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 1998
Common Toad
Though Inkle Moor Pond was checked several times from mid March to mid April, Common Toads were not noted except for the following dates.
21st March                  13 at Inkle Moor Pond
22nd March                 8 were seen but it was noted many could be heard at the inaccessible far side of Inkle Moor Pond.

 


Common Frog
A poor year for this species.
19th June                     1 young at ‘Middle Moor’

 


List of Observers  
Richard Atterby, Michael Lichfield, William H. Priestley, Bryan P. Wainwright.

 

 

THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 1999


Common Toad
06th June                     1 along the colliery road

 


THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 2000
Smooth Newt
New Site of Breeding Smooth Newts at Mill Drain Marsh
23rd August        15 in small stretch of peat cuttings between Fisons' Road and Mill Drain Marsh B.P. Wainwright, Frank Kenington, Bill Dollonds
25th August        3 in small stretch of peat cuttings between Fisons' Road and Mill Drain Marsh B.P. Wainwright
Weather: warm, light broken cloud with lots of sun, no wind.
Location: Middle Moor Tram, Fisons’ Road End immediately N of the main area of Mill Drain Marsh, west side ditch.    
Habitat: a stretch of deep peat lined dyke 10m long, 2m wide and 2m deep. The peaty water was black, acidic and fresh (not stagnant) with growths of sphagnum. Soft rush Juncus dominated with reed mace in places.

 


We were trawling for aquatic insects with nets; various diving beetles, pond skaters, shrimp (tiny), water scorpion and other bugs were found. On nearly every sweep with the net however small newts were brought up. They were quite uniform in size and were immature, two were measured at 38 mm and 32 mm (tail of latter was 14 mm). The gills were still visible on the exterior and the legs may not yet have being fully developed in all, though the two measured could walk. They were virtually unmarked, being uniform olive brown above and plain white below. The newts were thought to be Smooth Newt Triturus vulgaris, since this is the only species which is still known to occur on Thorne Moors.

 


Many other ditches were sampled on both dates some very close to this one, but no others had amphibians present. 

 


Common Toad
29th November 1 young, Middle Moor Tram only

 


List of Observers  
Bill Dollonds, Steve Holloway, Frank Kenington, Bryan P. Wainwright.

 

 

 


THORNE MOORS AMPHIBIAN RECORDS 2002
Smooth Newt             
At Cadmen’s Pond at Inkle Moor (east of the railway and immediately north of the colliery road flyover) (local fishermen).