Newts in my pond!

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Last July I dug a pond in my back garden - I created a thread in Homes, Gardens & DIY about it.

I've been amazed at how quickly the wildlife moved in, and I've just spotted a newt, which I'm very excited about. In fact, I spotted two of them, so babies are not impossible.

Crap picture alert:



So is there anything I should do to encourage them and help any "newtpoles" to survive? My main concern is that the pond is still young, and the food chain might not be rich and diverse enough to support higher creatures yet. Is it possible to feed them?

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

I will get some sinking catfish pellets and put a very small number in every few days then. I assume they won't need much food, because the water is still bluddy cold!

My plan, if I got tadpoles, was to occasionally snip a slug in half and throw it in. Might try that for the newts and their young. Must be careful to avoid too much pollution though.

Will be interesting to see if I get frog spawn as well, or whether mine will be a "newts only" pond. I understand that adult newts will eat the occasional frog tadpole.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

A much better picture... And now I'm not so sure of my identification: smooth newt or palmate?




I've ordered 50 red ramshorn snails off eBay, which hopefully will enhance the ecosystem and provide some food for the newts. Apparently they don't eat live plants, just dead vegetation...

Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Saturday 7th March 17:50

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

I've only seen two newts at a time, but they are quite elusive so I can well imagine there may be more in there.

I have tried emailing the "amphibian officer" of Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group, to see which type of newt he thinks it is.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

The snails have arrived (by snail mail, obviously), so I've released those, and ive been feeding a pinch of sinking fish food granules every day.

And this evening I saw three newts simultaneously, which greatly increases the chances of having a mixture of males and females so they can get it ON.

And quite a big frog too. It's amphibian anarchy in there!

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Well, if it's not newts, it's frogs.

Taken this evening, enlarged and heavily processed so it's a bit crap, but...




This picture is best viewed whilst listening to this...
http://youtu.be/BKPoHgKcqag

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

I've had a reply from the amphibian guy at Surrey Amphibian & Reptile Group. He reckons my picture is of a male smooth newt, and he also says not to worry about them having enough food because they will leave the water to hunt on land for invertebrates at night. I had incorrectly assumed that they stay permanently in the water during the breeding season.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Well, that patient male frog hung on for days, and then they both disappeared. I thought they'd buggered off without, er, doing it - but I was wrong...





Anyone else got frogspawn?