Farm News  |   February 3, 2025

Could We Have Great Crested Newts at Lauriston Farm?

We could reintroduce Great crested newts at Lauriston Farm, but we need more support from dog guardians…

About Great Crested Newts

Great crested newts are one of the six amphibian species in Scotland and they are pretty spectacular – particularly the males. They arrive at ponds in early spring, travelling by night. The males arrive first to clean up the pond of predators and then wait for the females. They are dressed to impress in orange and black, with a jaggy crest along the back, a white flash on the tail and they use a beautiful sinuous dance to seduce the female.

Take a look at this Spring Watch video featuring a female looking for a mate:

 

Loss of Habitat

Like so many species, Great crested newts have declined significantly, largely due to intensive agriculture. They need healthy ponds surrounded by woodland, hedgerows, marshes or tussocky grassland, with safe places to hide, and insect life to feed on. Industrial agriculture has seriously reduced this type of habitat across Scotland and the UK.

At Lauriston Farm, we have created seven ponds to bring back habitat for amphibians. Some may find their own way, but we also need to give them a helping hand. So, we are considering a re-introduction programme for the newts.

 

How Suitable is the Habitat at Lauriston Farm?

Before any introduction, the standard method to assess whether the habitat might be suitable is called a Habitat Suitability Index. We have now done this for four of the farm ponds.

Click here to read the full Habitat Suitability Index Report

Of the four ponds, one scored ‘Excellent’ for suitability, but the others were either ‘Average’ or ‘Below average’. This is because they don’t have enough plant or insect life for newts, even after three summers. By now, they should have a good mix of aquatic and marginal plants, and plenty of aquatic insects and other invertebrates – food for newts. But they don’t. The ponds are really suffering from the impact of dogs being allowed on the banks and in the water. 

 

Impact of Dogs Prevents the Return of Wildlife

Of course, dogs don’t know they’re doing any harm. But they are trampling the pond edges, and stirring up mud from the base of the ponds, so plants can’t grow in the pond or on the banks. No plants means no insects – no food for newts. Also, many dogs are treated with flea and tick medications containing powerful insecticides. If these insecticides get into the water, they kill any insects (not just fleas and ticks). Finally, when owners don’t pick up after their dogs, it upsets the balance of nutrients in the soil and water. We get too much nitrogen and phosphorus, which limits plant diversity and leads to algae dominating in the ponds.

 

What Happens Now

We know a lot of visitors are not aware of the wildlife work we’re doing at the farm, or the impact of walking dogs in the wildlife zone. People are enjoying the fresh air, the views and the grassy field, and don’t realise whose home they’re treading on. Also, this too-quiet, over-simplified landscape is normal now – many folk don’t realise how many plants and animals are missing. We know we can do more to educate visitors at the farm. But good quality signage costs a lot of money, and the farm team can’t be everywhere all the time. However, you will notice more efforts over the next year to protect the pond areas and inform visitors about wildlife-friendly access. We will repeat the Habitat Suitability assessment in the summer to see if we can progress with an introduction of the Great crested newts.

 

How Visitors Can Help

Everyone can make a real difference to wildlife by following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code at the farm. Perhaps the most important contributions you make are to leave no trace, and to avoid disturbing wildlife. If you’re walking dogs at the farm, it’s really important to bag AND bin all dog waste from all areas. The amount of dog waste left on the farmland could seriously affect soil health, and gives the farm team a seriously grim ongoing clean-up task. Visitors who stay out of the north field really help give the ponds, ground nesting birds and small mammals a chance. We need dog walkers to keep dogs away from the ponds so we can bring back amphibians. Eventually, we hope it will be easy to see it’s not  an ’empty field’ – it’s a precious bit of habitat for our local wildlife.

If you’re excited about bringing more wildlife back to Lauriston Farm, please help spread the word to anyone who will listen, record your sightings on iNaturalist, join us for volunteering days if you can, and enjoy watching the farm come back to life.

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