Witley Common heathland

Leader: Rob Free (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation)

Although it was a hot day, it was tolerable as there had been many hotter days in the heatwave! Leader Rob Free explained how Amphibian and Reptile Conservation had purchased part of Witley Common from the Witley Park estate and had restored the quality of heathland by removal of conifers. The site is now one of few in the country that has populations of all three UK snakes and all three UK lizards – among these, the Smooth Snakes and Sand Lizards are by far the rarest.

A route across some beautiful heathland visited a number of “refugia” where reptiles might have gathered if it hadn’t been so hot! The hot and sunny conditions meant there was no appeal to these places where they would otherwise go to warm up. Likewise, we couldn’t expect to find them basking, so it was a problematic morning for finding reptiles.

The Common Lizard is viviparous, which is a sensible strategy in a temperate climate when keeping a clutch warm might be difficult. Sand Lizards, though, lay eggs, and a burrow sited in a warm position, perhaps in a south-facing bank, is crucial. Rob was able to point out some examples of likely nest burrow entrances.

One part of the site had a curiously hummocky surface: it was an old bottle dump, and a favoured site for Smooth Snakes – presumably, it was warm and there were plenty of places for nesting.

We learnt a lot about reptiles, but we were unlucky with sightings. Much easier to find were examples of the site’s rich fauna of wasps and bees. Sand wasps (Ammophila spp.) were common, plus an intriguing diversity of nomad bees, including the very uncommon and local Nomada baccata (“Bear-clawed Nomad Bee”).