Delving into the darkness at The Deneway

Sophie Atkinson 

Youth Action Officer

Wedged between a railway line and residential buildings, you never quite know what you’re going to get at The Deneway. Previously a brownfield site, decades-old fly tipping mixes with species-rich habitat to create an interesting mosaic of urban space and wild space.

One space on this reserve that is always teeming with wildlife is the pond. Our Brighton Youth Rangers group celebrated the arrival of spring with an evening pond-dipping session, complete with a torch lit walk and star gazing. In a short session they caught five Smooth Newts, many Water Lice, dragonfly and damselfly larvae, Mayfly larvae, Ramshorn Snails, the list goes on. Later in the evening we conducted a torch survey and saw a Common Frog poking it’s head out of the water. A torch survey is a great way to observe pondlife without disrupting it with nets, so if you have a pond and would like to know what’s going on inside it, pop outside once it’s dark and have a peak with a torch.

One Smooth Newt appeared to be ready to lay some eggs, she was looking rather plump. This is the time of year where toads, frogs, and newts are reproducing. If you would like to know more about amphibian reproduction and ID, Kerry Williams, Communications Officer – Conservation, has written a great blog on this topic. 

This short clip was taken during our pond dipping session. The photographer was focusing on the Smooth Newt, but there is actually a lot of life featured. How many species can you spot?