Male Common Lizard. Photo: Peter Schueler

Reptile Walk with Sustainable Hamsey

On Saturday 5 October, a group of 10 local residents joined Sustainable Hamsey for a reptile walk in Offham, reports Will Johanson. Sustainable Hamsey is a voluntary group set up to encourage biodiversity and sustainable practice within the parish.

In sunny weather, the group walked a pre-determined ‘survey transect’ through a section of South East Water’s Offham water abstraction site, with the aim of viewing and recording the presence of various native reptile species here. South East Water manage the site for biodiversity and kindly helped to facilitate the survey, providing guidance on where to set up the transect and ‘refugia’ – corrugated iron sheeting used to attract basking reptiles.

The group were delighted to observe three of Britain’s six native reptile species; sighting slow worm (Anguis fragilis), common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) and grass snake (Natrix helvetica).

This was exciting for all and indicates that the area is in good ecological health. Volunteers subsequently recorded these sightings on the new Hamsey Wildlife Recording App, set up with support from The Southwood Foundation and ERM Ecological Consultancy, to provide the community with a record of the biodiversity of the parish. Sustainable Hamsey is looking forward to holding future activities, with the aim of engaging the community with the wildlife on our doorstep and increasing the understanding of the species present in the parish.

Young Slow Worm. Photo: Peter Schueler