Never knew there were Lizards in this country.

kindredspirit

I saw a Lizard beside the pond last October (Never knew there were Lizards here) and a couple of weeks ago I found his cache of almost 100 empty Ramshorn Snail shells underneath a clump of Cortaderia Richardii.

Apparently they're very good swimmers and the cache was right next to where I disturbed him/her and adjacent to a flagstone leant at 45° into the pond so that creatures can get in and out.

So now I can add a lizard to my collection of wildlife loitering around the pond. Smile

Greengage · Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 10:03 pm Post subject:

you live and learn
http://www.biology.ie/group.php?m=lizard&g=79

My Potatoes · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:09 am Post subject:

Likewise. I saw my first lizard in this country last summer. Initially I assumed it was an alien escapee only to discover that they do exist in the wild here.

James Kilkelly · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 12:58 pm Post subject:

I remember about ten years ago my mother came in from the milking parlour one night saying a lizard ran across one of the drainage channels. We did some flicking through images of lizards etc. until we worked out and she quite solidly confirmed that it was a Smooth Newt.

tippben · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:35 pm Post subject:

Given the location, and the time of year, it was almost certainly a newt. They hibernate under logs and stones, and only use the pond full time during may-july, the breeding season. The rest of the time they are land based, though they can and will use the pond to escape from danger.

The Common Lizard will still be hibernating. It is far too cold yet, so unless one was in a hibernation burrow and was disturbed, I wouldn't expect to see any for another 6 weeks, and even then only on warm sunny days.

My Potatoes · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 3:05 pm Post subject:

Lots of newts in north Cork.

tagwex · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:07 pm Post subject:

Have never seen a newt in this country, but seen loads in London back in the day, when we used to catch them as boys. I can remember my Granny calling them an eft, pronounced 'evet'. Can anyone enlighten me on this as I believe it was a newt that she was referring to. Is this the Irish word for a newt or maybe it is a colloquial term - I just don't know? She told me that they loved buttermilk and would jump down your throat!!! Could be a slow worm too.

kindredspirit · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:30 pm Post subject:

tagwex · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:15 pm Post subject:

Maybe your water is radioactive and this is a teenage mutant ninja newt!!!
Or else an escapee from chaps bedroom tank.

kindredspirit · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:50 pm Post subject:

Link to 2007 Irish Wildlife Trust survey on Lizards.

http://www.lacerta.de/AS/Bibliografie/BIB_4273.pdf

(I like the idea of radioactive water, though. Smile

)

tagwex · Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:23 pm Post subject:

Well that puts to bed the notion of only three native reptiles, frog, toad and newt. Learn something new everyday.

tippben · Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 12:32 pm Post subject:

Tagwex. "Eft" is the Anglo-saxon (old English) word for newt. It survives as the term for juvenile newts that still have their gills.

tippben · Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 12:33 pm Post subject:

Well then Kindredspirit, you are a very lucky man!

My Potatoes · Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 2:00 pm Post subject:

kindredspirit · Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:49 pm Post subject: