Preparing for a field season

Christmas flew past in a flash and suddenly it was full steam ahead to prepare for the breeding season that was quickly approaching. There was a lot I needed to do - submit the project for ethical approval, apply for licenses from both the Home Office and Natural Resources Wales, write risk assessments, order kit and equipment, undergo training and of course get my methodology completely nailed down before I found myself wading around ponds in the depths of Wales...

There's nothing more satisfying than sitting down with an OS map and so that's how I began my hunt for field sites. The paper map probably wasn't strictly necessary, but it wouldn't seem right heading field-ward bound without one. Through a mix of OS maps, satellite imagery and a survey report from the area, I came up with a list of locations I wanted to see in person, so next stop, canvassing in Wales! I've canvassed for field sites in the past; in 2013 I recruited land owners for harvest mouse research and in 2017 and 2018 I spent my Spring rocking up at randomly selected houses in Ipswich to recruit garden owners for a hedgehog population study. The response in Ipswich was incredibly mixed - some people were very excited to be involved, others (literally) slammed the door in our faces. At first we found this pretty disheartening, but we soon came to appreciate that not everyone likes a cold caller and not everyone can be won round (but you can give it a good go!)

I therefore headed to Wales unsure of the response I would receive, but was really pleased to realise that everyone was very friendly. I headed first to a number of ponds known to have non-native newts and quickly found evidence of invasion in the form of two newts that hadn't made it across the road safely. Unfortunate for them (poor chaps) but a useful indicator for me; the newts were on the move. This, alongside a lovely clump of frogspawn were two sure signs that Spring was on its way!

Top to bottom, left to right:[1] my first frogspawn sighting of the year [2] an alpine newt found squashed on the road [3] a catfish egg case found on a grey morning beach walk [4] feeling fieldwork official with my clipboard and measuring wheel [5] science from the comfort of my bedroom floor [6] tadpoles developing nicely [7] joyous jelly [8] bountiful blobs.

One more trip to Wales rewarded me with around 20 ponds absolutely brimming with frogspawn. Needless to say, I was pretty excited. After a promising start to the pond recruitment process I headed back to Plymouth to continue with the rest of my field season admin. I was excited to receive the go-ahead for my project from Natural Resources Wales and to have received my Home Office personal license. It's great to feel like things are slowly coming together - next thing I know I'll be best pals with the newts of Wales. Can't wait!