Grass snakes make a return

Jul 6 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

A GRASS snakes project on a North East estate has paid off.

The first snakes in seven years have been sighted on the National Trust’s Gibside estate near Rowlands Gill.

Gibside has one of the most northerly recorded populations of grass snakes in the UK although wardens feared the population would become extinct on the estate after no sightings had been made since 2002, writes TONY HENDERSON.

In 2007 a grass snake recovery programme began at Gibside made possible by a £25,000 grant from the SITA Trust Enriching Nature Programme.

The aim was to extend and improve the area of suitable grass snake habitat .

Over the years Gibside’s forestry plantations have matured and habitats have changed, reducing their suitability to support reptiles. The recovery project has so far included felling trees in important locations to allow snakes to bask in the sunlight and constructing hibernation piles. Another measure has been the creation of compost heaps, where the snakes lay their eggs to take advantage of the natural heat the heaps generate .

Much of the work has been undertaken by a team of conservation volunteers with help from seasonal staff and consultant ecologists.

Regular surveys of the improved habitat then took place by an ecological consultant. In 2007 and 2008 no grass snakes were recorded, but during a recent visit, consultant John Grundy spotted two female grass snakes.