Slow worm

[Guest]

OK Colin after massive efforts mostly poor here is one of our dear little toads.

They are so small that it is difficult to get close up. I have enhanced as much as possible the picture with out getting artifacts creeping in.

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To give scale the length of just the body is about 8mm or half the width of a 20p piece. The legs are remarkably long.

We had hundreds in the pool as tadpoles & a lot after they had migrated around the pool. This has diminished as they have dispersed or found themselves victims of hungry other types of creatures. We can see about 4 or 5 in a day.

Laurie

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[Guest]

Thanks for that Laurie, looks small and toad-like to me.

If you weren't on such a small island i'd say grab a few and transport them 50 miles away to help out with the gene pool diversity ... still you could, if you wish/can, just take a few to the furthest parish away from yourselves and drop them off, saying this after several tens of thousands of years i would assume the gene pool has reached a natural equilibrium.

i'm quite big on helping gene pools diverse in reptile/amphibian/invertebrate species, after all we have pushed them into areas they wouldn't be so soon by our building and de-forestation etc.

To give an idea what "can" happen with extreme gene pool intensity, the Golden Lance Head (a pit-viper (Bothrops insularis))is found only on Ilha da Queimada Grande, they have ben interbred so much over time that the snakes are often displaying male and female sexual organs, this will eventually prove fatal to the survival of the species.

The strange thing is that this is a natural problem that has occured with no help or hinderence from humans.

[Guest]

Thanks for that Laurie, looks small and toad-like to me.If you weren't on such a small island i'd say grab a few and transport them 50 miles away to help out with the gene pool diversity ... still you could, if you wish/can, just take a few to the furthest parish away from yourselves and drop them off, saying this after several tens of thousands of years i would assume the gene pool has reached a natural equilibrium.

Actually Colin we have been doing this unwittingly without the specific knowledge & reasons you mention.

The Original toads came from the other side of the Island a couple of years ago. They have been living in our greenhouse at least during the winter. Pauline has spread them this year wide into two parishes by supplying our four grandsons with tadpoles.

On another interesting subject. The rabbit population has recovered. Some years back they died out with mixamotosis (spelling ?).

Another this morning while in the car a red squirrel crossed the road. This years breed by the size. Beautiful thing. The red is now turning a black dark red for the winter which we noticed happens. Some in the Island have been very protective & put up notices on the road side. Beware squirrels. We only have the red & hope we do not have some idiot importing a grey as the reds are doing well & become a usual sight.

Laurie

[Guest]

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Clever wife (are there any other types) caught this little fellow which is a much better photo than previously.

Gives an impression that they are bigger than illustrated. But the bodies are less than half an inch long.

Actually the first toad I found dead I though he seemed a bit strange when I took the picture.

This one was full of life & was trying to climb out of the box. Now been returned to his or hers natural habitat.

What do you think Colin? Think they are toads.

Laurie

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[Guest]

Still looks like a diddy toad to me, at that size frog and toad youngsters can look quite similar to the naked eye.

Nice to see that the toad colony on the island is spread around as well, top marks to you for that

My advice to you for maintaining the red squirrel population is to buy a decent air-rifle and shoot the greys, The grey is considered vermin in most parts.

This might sound cruel but as soon as you get a small Grey population established you can bye bye to the reds as they will be eradicated one by one.

Shooting greys will give you variety in your diet as well if you don't mind living off the land ..... Crow & Squirrel pie ... lovely!

[Guest]

SShooting greys will give you variety in your diet as well if you don't mind living off the land ..... Crow & Squirrel pie ... lovely!

Think, Colin, I will stick to Chicken pie. Got a mass of pheasants but they are protected.

Laurie

[Guest]

Got a mass of pheasants but they are protected.

Is that protected as in you have a limited number or protected "game" and only shot under government licence.....

I suppose i could have looked this up but i like chatting

[Guest]

Protected by the States of Jersey decree.

Yes nothing like a good chat in.

Suspect that a good number make the pie despite the restriction. We have a lot of crafty old Jersey Farmers here I like them. The fisherman are of equal devishness. Both the heart of Jersey.

Another one the wild life is rampant here. Used to take my dogs (they have sadly gone) to L'Etacq in the early morning. Beautiful place no car sounds just on one side the land birds in song & a cackle from the landbirds. In season the Canada geese what a sight all on the waters edge.

Then a fisherman launching his boat from his tractor against a background of the sea crashing over the rocks 400 yards out. Some place. The scene changed daily as with average tide movements of 25 to 35 feet the beach was washed & shortened & lengthened dramatically during the day. Most days I would be the only one. I would stand for minutes just to take all this in.

Laurie

[Guest]

The toads as reported earlier are now getting bigger.

But Pauline & I had a big giggle. Next door who have paved all their rear garden & found what would probably be the mother toad. A big one.

We heard all this from our garden. They put the toad in a bucket of water & after much discussion transported it over the road into the field.

They do not like toads. Sad as they will discover.

What they do not realise is that our toadlets, there must be a couple of hundred still left from the thousands hatched (is that the correct expression), are now emigrating in a fan away from our property.

Wonder how many you can get in a bucket. I have "happily" imagined one morning the neighbours arriving down for breakfast looking out on a sea of toads rambling all over their patio.

Laurie

[Andy2035]

Bringing this one back and yet again another question for Colin, where do the spiders go & eat during winter, no flies etc...

[Guest]

They just find the warmest place they can (why you see so many indoors during winter) and hold up untill the warmer weather comes in. They can take a mild frost without any problems as they dont have internal organs that work like ours, most of the internals of a spider is basically hydraulics and valves.

They will live on the reserves they stored during the warmer months. even small spiders can live for months without a meal if they have access to a little water occasionally.

[Dave W]

Ive been modelling in my workshop at the bottom of the garden the last few evenings.But i havent seen my old mate Septimus the spider (as i call it).No doubt its found some where warmer for the winter.When i was a kid i was scared of them like my mum .As the Pink Floyd song goes 'Mother will put all her fears into you'. But now i have more respect for life in all its forms.Besides,The spiders keep my daughter out of my workshop so they are now my friends!.

[Andy2035]

Thank you yet again Sir, I fed one this morning that I've just found (outside of course), he was a lot bigger than I thought too...