2015 Scottish Odyssey (2) Amphibians at Culzean

The view from Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland

In my previous post I mentioned some of the mammals we encountered on our recent Scottish odyssey. This time I thought I would add a couple of amphibian sightings. We saw several toads (and a batch of tadpoles) during our time away, and I may post other photos in due course. 

You never know who may be lurking in a woodland garden ...

We knew the castle, lake and walled garden at NTS Culzean from a previous visit, but had not been to the designated wildlife garden before.

There were several signs about the place. I was particularly heartened to read the one below. 

The first creature we encountered was this Common Toad. I know that skin colours can differ in toads, but I had never seen one like this before. It was large and utterly magnificent. Stuart Babbs on Flicka suggests that a peaty environment may account for dark pigments in toads.

Has anyone else seen toads like this one? Alison Davies posted about black toads on iSpot and it was suggested that a dark colour absorbs more heat. The colour can be an advantage in dark surroundings ... like the frog box.

The photo below shows a newt (or is it still a large eft?). I have not been able to identify the exact species. 

I mentioned signs, and here in the photo below you can see another one, this time on the lid of the frog box. I have to confess at this point that both the black toad and the newt were in the box. We took a quick look and replaced the lid with great care. This kind of wildlife spotting felt a bit too easy - it was a bit like walking into the RSPB Minsmere Bittern Hide and seeing ... a Bittern!

You can see why we like the view from the castle! 

Scottish Odyssey 1 ~ Heading South (amphibians)

We have just returned from a holiday on (well, mainly off) the west coast of Scotland. The weather was remarkably kind, and even hot at times. To date we have only processed the last of my digital films, so please forgive me if I begin at the end! I shall highlight the creatures we saw in yellow.

It seems remarkable to think that only last weekend we were ambling through the sub-tropical gardens at Arduaine, some miles south of Oban. We were looking for a picnic place on our drive to Dumbarton and noticed a sign saying 'Coastal Viewpoint'. It proved to be an idyllic spot, consisting of coastal views, unspoilt beaches ...

... and glorious plants such as the one below. It seemed very strange to be sitting among palm trees in hot sunshine, but the gardens benefit from the effects of the Gulf Stream.     

Scottish Flame Flower, perhaps?

The Arduaine headland protrudes from Loch Melfort and the gardens, now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, face south over Asknish Bay. The photo below shows the beautiful coastline along the edge of the garden - and despite the fact that schools in Scotland had broken up for the summer vacation, the beach was certainly a crowd-free zone. We watched Gannets flying from one side of the bay to the other and one visitor claimed he saw a White-tailed Eagle.  

After enjoying the view we wandered inland to explore the part of the garden that spreads out around the pond. I had just turned my eyes to the water in the hope of seeing a newt when ...

... right on cue, David spotted one. 

It was a small but fine specimen ...

... and I enjoyed watching the newt as it swam in the water ...

... as it twisted and turned among the tadpoles ...

... and dived under strands of weed.

The tadpole population was certainly very healthy, though I rather suspect that all too few of these small creatures will make it through to maturity. 

It was time to head for that elusive viewpoint, but just before we left the pond, we noticed a second newt (in the photo above). I had a hunch that the newts would be Palmates, perhaps juveniles, but I am not convinced that this identification is correct. I am submitting the sightings to the Reptiles and Amphibians of the UK (RAUK) site for their records. The only eft I have ever seen in Scotland was on the edge of Loch Awe. 

Arduaine - what an unexpected jewel in the Scottish coastline! 

Newts - and BBC Springwatch - at RSPB Minsmere

© David Gill (cropped by me)

We were very excited when we heard that the BBC Springwatch programmes would be coming from RSPB Minsmere, which is a reserve we thought we knew quite well. The first programme has already put paid to that feeling as we found ourselves learning a number of new facts as we watched the screen last night.

However, we made a new 'discovery' of our own at the weekend when we noticed several newts on site. Does anyone know if there is a collective term for them? I know very little about these attractive creatures, but we soon realised that there appeared to be more than one species in the water.

We had hoped that the newt in David's photo above was going to be a Crested Newt, a variety we had not seen, but I suspect the red belly points to an ID of a male Smooth or Common Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris / Triturus vulgaris) since these amphibians display crests during the breeding season. You can read more about them on the ARKive site. You can read about their conservation status here and about their protection under the law here. 

If you are reading this blog and can confirm or refute my tentative identification for the newt above, I would be extremely grateful! To complicate matters somewhat, I understand that the Great Crested Newt can have an orange underside ...

The light conditions made it difficult to catch a good glimpse of the creatures, but we enjoyed seeing them all the same. The newt photographs below have been cropped and enlarged. I had been looking for dragonflies and damselflies, so the newts were an added and unexpected bonus!

Springwatch at RSPB Minsmere