Fauna
As Ashing Lane Nature Reserve matures, we can expect to see a wider variety of species, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
There is separate page for moths, and hopefully as more sightings are made, additional pages will be added to record them.
Please make use of the "Contact Us" form if you spot wild animals at ALNR, even better, send a photo that we can include here and make part of our species record.
There is separate page for moths, and hopefully as more sightings are made, additional pages will be added to record them.
Please make use of the "Contact Us" form if you spot wild animals at ALNR, even better, send a photo that we can include here and make part of our species record.
The Great Newt Expedition 2019
Steven Heathcote, licensed newt handler, and his colleague Ellie visited ALNR on the evening of 15 April to check our ponds and place bottle traps to (hopefully) capture, record and release any newts that might reside there.
We arrived after sunset and walked round each pond on the Reserve with powerful lights, looking carefully in the margins for movement. We saw smooth and great crested newts in Watts and Beatles Ponds and sharp eyed Steven spotted the characteristic folded leaves where smooth newts had laid their eggs in AAA pond.
We returned the following morning and checked the traps that had been left overnight - Beatles Pond yielded a male and female smooth newt and a large dragonfly larva!
We arrived after sunset and walked round each pond on the Reserve with powerful lights, looking carefully in the margins for movement. We saw smooth and great crested newts in Watts and Beatles Ponds and sharp eyed Steven spotted the characteristic folded leaves where smooth newts had laid their eggs in AAA pond.
We returned the following morning and checked the traps that had been left overnight - Beatles Pond yielded a male and female smooth newt and a large dragonfly larva!
Male smooth newt from Beatles Pond
Male smooth newt being returned to Beatles Pond
Female smooth newt from Beatles Pond
Newt egg (likely smooth newt) found on a leaf in AAA pond
Dragonfly larva from Beatles Pond - ID'd as a four spot chaser, thank you Robinson Crusoe
Grass snake
Newt tadpoles
Newts
Grass snake
Male broad bodied chaser dragonfly