Conservation of the Great-crested Newt in the Marston Vale Forest
Surveying Approach and Instructions
Background
The survey will be conducted as part of the SITA Trust funded project Conservation of the Greatcrested Newt in the Marston Vale Forest. The project will be implemented over a two-year period
between February 2013 and March 2015.
The aims of the project are:
- To survey at least 40 GCN sites
- Restore/ create at least 20 GCN sites
- Provide training for Marston Vale Trust volunteers
- Produce GCN strategy for the Marston Vale Forest area.
The survey results will be used for identifying the best GCN sites with long-term viable
populations and to strengthen them with habitat improvements. The results will also form a
baseline for the creation of the GCN Conservation Strategy in the Marston Vale Forest area.
Survey Approach
The survey aim is twofold:
1. To identify the best GCN sites with the viable populations and to identify opportunities
for the habitat work (at least 40 ponds will be surveyed).
2. To fill in the gaps in our knowledge about the GCN distribution, pond quality, terrestrial
habitats and threats in this area.
Because of these dual objectives, the survey needs to deliver a combination of presence/
absence and population assessment investigations. To satisfy this requirement, in both years
the survey will be conducted in stages.
Stage 1 (One visit up to 30 April 2013 and 2014)
A wide-ranging survey of ponds in the earlier identified Target Areas focused on finding the
GCN and describing the ponds. In this stage, the open access and sympathetic landowners’
ponds will be surveyed first, while the access permissions will be sought via face-to-face
meetings with the private landowners. The survey will collect the data listed in Table 1.
One visit is certainly a limitation, however, with the good description of ponds including HSI, it
will be possible to select the best ponds for the Stage 2 survey.
Stage 2 (up to 6 visits till end of June)
While the wide-ranging surveys should continue, the most promising ponds in terms of the
possibility to undertake the most effective habitat improvements will be selected based on the
data collected in Stage 1 and the following criteria:
- At least medium-size class population class (>10 individuals counted) or small-size class
population/ no newts, but ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ HSI scores.
- Preferably the presence of at least 3 other medium-size GCN populations within 1 km.
- Suitable terrestrial habitats (minimum pollution, varied terrestrial habitat).
- Long-term sympathetic management.
- Lack of development plans and habitat fragmentation risk for the area.
- Permission to build or restore ponds.
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Survey Methods
Stage 1
Three methods will be used namely egg searching, netting and torching. Torching is required
even if the eggs are found. Additionally to the possibility of capturing amphibians, netting is
optional to assess the invertebrate richness and the presence of fish for HSI measure.
Egg searching
The pond edge should be searched for suitable plants, old reed leafs and other suitable surfaces
for egg laying until a satisfactory assumption can be made that eggs are likely to be absent.
When the eggs are found, the search can stop.
Netting
Netting should be conducted after egg searching, every 2-3 meters in areas with sparse or none
marginal vegetation. At least ten, 1m2 sweeps should be taken, making notes on amphibian
presence and the variety and abundance of invertebrates for the HSI score.
Torching
Perimeter of the pond should be walked slowly searching for amphibians with CB-2 Cluson
torch (1 million candle light). Minimum temperature at the ground level should be >5oC.
Environmental and pond data
A number of measurements should be taken as described in detailed in Table 1. Please use a
separate guide to HSI score enclosed.
Stage 2
Eggs searching (until found), torching and bottle trapping should be conducted during 6 visits
until end of June.
Bottle trapping
Traps should be distributed 2 m apart in suitable habitat leaving space for air at the top,
covering the whole shore or in case of larger water bodies at least 15 bottles should be used in
the best part of the pond.
Recording data
Special attention should be placed to record correctly the location of the pond, so that it is
possible to find them again by other surveyors. For these reason, the following measures are
proposed:
 Site name should be provided, or the nearest village/ town.
 1:10000 maps will be provided and labelled from A to Z. The map label needs to be
recorded in the survey form.
 Ponds need to be numbered both on the map and the form. Numbering should include
the map label, e.g. A1, C9, and so on.
 Name of the pond (if they have a name, e.g. village ponds) or details of the location.
 Grid reference. Attention should be paid to give enough time for the GPS to settle the
location, especially in woodlands and cloudy weather.
 Sketch of the pond should be provided with the drainage, hedgerows, field edges and
other characteristic features.
 Photo should be taken. The photos should be downloaded and labelled with the number
of the pond.
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The rest of the information should be provided on the field form as described below. As a
general rule, if the information is not available, put a dash rather than 0. Negative results (0) are
when the survey was undertaken, but nothing was recorded. The dash means that the count was
not undertaken at all. Empty spaces should not be left, as there would be a doubt that the
measure was forgotten.
The data on the form is organised in the same way as in the database in Excel. This will make it
easier to computerise data from the forms.
Table 1 Description of collected data. The information in bold should be gathered during each
visit
Site name/ nearest village/
town
Pond ref number
Pond name if exist, location
info
Pond grid reference
Target Area
Private/ open access [P/O]
Private Landowner Name
Private Landowner Address
Private Landowner Telephone
Willing for Habitat Work?
Recorder
Date of survey
Visit number
Start Time
Rain
Wind
Cloud Cover
Air Temperature
Turbidity
% Access
Type of pond/ habitat. Level 1
Type of pond/ habitat. Level 2
Presence of egg laying plants
Shallow zone
Sediment type
Grazing
Dispersal obstacles
Max depth
Water level
Site/ woodland/ reserve name or the nearest town or village
Combination of the map label and number, e.g. A1, A2 and so on
Pond name if exist, or location details, e.g. 300 m south from
village X
OS British grid reference
Put Target Area Number from 1 to 5
Put [P] for private or [O] for open access
Name of the landowner
Address of the landowner or Farm name
Landowner telephone number
From the discussion - is the landowner willing to carry on the
habitat work on his/ her land?
Name of the surveyor
Date, e.g. 12/05/2013
Visit number to the pond
Start time of the survey to the nearest 5 min., e.g. 20:15
1 – none, 2 – light, 3 – heavy (no torch survey)
1 – none, 2 – breeze, 3 – strong (no torch survey)
1 – 0-33%, 2 – 34-66%, 3 – 67-100%
Air temperature at the ground level. Please leave the
thermometer for at least 5 min before taking the measure.
1 – clear, 2 – slightly turbid, 3 – turbid, 4 – very turbid
Proportion of the pond accessible to safely work
Put the main habitat within 100 m from the pond:
1 – arable field, 2 – urban/ village, 3 – woodland, 4 – pasture, 5
amenity grass, 6 – set aside/ unused land, 7 – clay pit, 8 - other
Put the secondary habitat within 100 m from the pond:
1 – arable field, 2 – urban/ village, 3 – woodland, 4 – pasture, 5
amenity grass, 6 – set aside/ unused land, 7 – clay pit, 8 - other
1 – none, 2 – some, 3 – many
The percentage of the shallow zone, up to 0.3 m deep more than
1 m from the shore for the whole pond.
1 –clay, 2 – mud, 3 – sand, 4 – artificial, 5 - peat
Determined on the number of animals and/ or the state of
grassland. 1 – none, 2 – extensive, 3 – average, 4 - intensive
Determined on the presence/ absence of major dispersal
obstructions within 0.5 km from the pond. 1 – none, 2 – presence
of small single carriage way road or houses towards just one side
the pond, 3 – the presence of single carriage way or houses from
more than one side from the pond or the presence of dual
carriage way/ railway, 4 – pond isolated from most of the sides.
In meters – 1 – 0-0.5 m, 2 – 0.5 – 1 m, 3 – more than 1 m
Water level during the survey: 1 – below the normal water level, 2
– normal water level, 3 – pond flooded
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Threat: shading
Threat: overgrown
Threat: lack of vegetation
Threat: inlet or drainage
Threat: eutrophication
Threat: filling/ rubbish
Threat: no shallow water
Threat: drying up too early
Threat: intensive grazing/ dogs
Threat: fragmentation/ isolation
Threat: other
SI1 - Location
SI2 - Pond area
SI3 - Pond drying
SI4 - Water quality
SI4 - Shade
SI6 - Fowl
SI7 - Fish
SI8 - Ponds
SI9 - Terr'l habitat
SI10 - Macrophytes
HSI
Egg presence
Torching Adult M
Torching Adult F
Torching Immature
Torching Larvae
Torching Unknown
Netting Effort
Netting Adult M
Netting Adult F
Netting Immature
Netting Larvae
No. of bottle traps
Bottle Adult M
Bottle Adult F
Bottle Immature
Bottle Larvae
Smooth Newt Adults
Smooth Newt Eggs
Common Frog Adults
Common Frog spawn count
Common Toad Adults
Water Vole
Grass Snake
Common Lizard
Other species of interest
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 - no
1 – yes, 2 – no – (which?)
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
Refer to HSI guidance
The score will be estimated automatically in Excel
1 – none, 2 – single eggs difficult to find, 3 – lots of eggs, easy to
find
Number of adult M in torching (10 cm and longer)
Number of adult F in torching (10 cm and longer)
Number of Imm. in torching
Number of larvae in torching
Number of unknown GCN in torching
Number of sweeps
Number of adult M in netting (10 cm and longer)
Number of adult F in netting (10 cm and longer)
Number of imm in netting
Number of larvae in netting
Number of bottle traps
Number of adult M in traps (10 cm and longer)
Number of adult F in traps (10 cm and longer)
Number of adult imm in traps
Number of adult larvae in traps (10 cm and longer)
Number of smooth newts, no sex/ age required
Presence of smooth newt eggs: 1 – none, 2 – yes
Number of common frog individuals
Number of spawn clusters
Number of common toad individuals
Presence of water vole signs: 1 – none, 2 - yes
Presence of grass snake on the site: 1 – none, 2 - yes
Presence of common lizard on the site: 1 – none, 2 - yes
List other species of interest
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