In the Field

6 Witley Common Discovery Trail By Ralph Connolly - Weald Field Officer & Volunteer Coordinator

The ARC field teams maintain some of the best–managed Heathland sites in the country, home to a whole range of species that are highly specialised to this unique habitat. From discussions with visitors to our sites here in the Weald however, it is clear that few are aware of the nationally rare reptiles living around them or how internationally important a resource heathland is.

Antisocial use of heaths, whether through leaving dog mess, littering or inadvertently starting fires can also be very detrimental for this fragile ecosystem but people cannot be expected to value something if they do not understand it. Increased access to natural spaces for the local community and awareness of the work

involved in maintaining this habitat can only benefit the long-term conservation of wildlife.

Funding from the Postcode Local Trust, and plenty of digging from ARC volunteers has allowed us to install a board and series of six information posts around a new waymarked trail on Witley Common which describe some of the site’s features, how we manage it for wildlife and helping visitors appreciate and take ownership of their local heathlands. We’ve also now have a set of brand new gates made from local Oak to make the site more secure but also more welcoming.

Photo: New Witley Common interpretation board © ARC The ARC managed area of Witley Common packs a lot into a small site, as well as the open heath there are areas of mature deciduous woodland, ponds, hazel coppice and grassland and it’s about time this beautiful site gets the recognition it deserves - come and see for yourself!

In the Field ARC Volunteers in the Spotlight A look at some of ARC’s volunteers and their invaluable contributions.

Dave Meyers Started volunteering with ARC: 2012

Our very own Heath Robinson, Dave is one of the longest serving Wealden volunteers. Along with producing videos documenting our work parties he has devised numerous bits of now invaluable kit, including, a sand trace tamper, fire bellows, tree popper, fire fork and has embellished that most important piece of volunteer day equipment - the storm kettle - with some nifty augmentations. If a tool is broken, or sometimes even if it isn’t, he will be the one to repair and reinvigorate it! Memorable wildlife experience: ‘One early June day I was trying to video a common lizard arranging its best basking position, when a Cuckoo landed above me and went off on one, and as I looked up I saw a pair of Redstarts in a gorse bush...awesome.’

Surrey natterjacks –Down but not out! By Rob Free - Weald Reserves Manager

The natterjack toad in west Surrey at one time was so common as to attract its own local name of the Thursley thrush after its distinctive call. Sadly, today Surrey’s natterjack toads probably number around the 16 mark in two locations. These are the reintroductions at Crooksbury Common and Frensham Country Park. The population at Frensham initially did very well with successful breeding in purpose-made ponds at a Waverley Borough conservation enclosure area. In recent years there has been no recruitment of young to an increasingly elderly and diminishing adult population. Volunteer surveyor, Regina Coult was able to identify just eight individual adults in 2019. The reasons for the decline may be predation from signal crayfish introduced from America, poor water quality and difficulty maintaining the breeding pools in an ideal condition due to fluctuating water levels and the rapid invasion of common reed.

The population on Crooksbury appeared to have failed after a second reintroduction undertaken in 2006 and 2007 led to no subsequent spawning. However, after three new pond scrapes were dug on site in 2009 breeding unexpectedly occurred in 2016 and 2017. The approximately eight animals at Crooksbury appear to be a mix of young and old which, while still well below a long term sustainable population level, at least sounds a little healthier. Recent failures seem to be due to these new ponds drying out quite rapidly following the onset of a prolonged dry spell of weather. Two of the new ponds have now been lined with butyl in an attempt to overcome this but require some further tweaking next spring to be successful.

ARC is currently working with the Waverley Ranger for Frensham to create new natterkack toad pond scrapes on an area of lichen heath hopefully out of reach of signal crayfish. The natterjack toads in Surrey may be down, but not out.