I expected the little fellow would have vanished by the time I got back but my luck was in. There it was in exactly the same position and it stayed there while I took a few photos.
I think a combination of the mild weather recently and the heavy rain earlier in the evening meant that this Newt had decided to see what food might be available. It was a fairly young one measuring about 7cm. A bit under 3 inches long. Even with the flash it was fairly well camouflaged, blending in well on the concrete slabs.
When we went out for a final look round about an hour later there was no sign of the Newt anywhere. Maybe it was on its way to the pond in the back garden. That was the direction it was facing when I first saw it.
A torch is definitely necessary out here! Glad you got the photos of the Newt - an interesting little creature.
ReplyDeleteHi Mick. At least I don't have to worry much about night creatures which bite or sting. The worst possibility is sliding on a slippery slug, especially on wet nights ;)
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Is the newt related to the gecko, do you know John? The feet look similar to the ones we have here. But he looks a bit of different shape.
ReplyDeleteI've missed quite a few of your posts and must have missed the one about the hedgehogs stopping their visits. Is there a reason for this? Hope nothing sinister has happened! I'd be sad to hear there has.
Newts in the garden! Lucky you. I used to enjoy looking for newts when I lived in Britain. We don't get them down here in Tasmania.
ReplyDeleteHello Pam. I don't think our newts are related to geckos. They don't make a habit of climbing up walls and walking across ceilings ;) They are amphibians which need to stay damp and normally spend the colder months in water where they lay their eggs in the Spring. I have several which live in my pond.
ReplyDeleteMy Hedgehog visitors stopped visiting earlier than other peoples but I hope it just means they found somewhere to hibernate for the Winter.
Hello Mosura, Thank you for visiting and commenting. I have been lucky enough to have several newts living in and around my garden pond for many years.
ReplyDeleteAs I don't have a pond I have never had a Newt in my garden and don't think I have seen one at all since I was a child, they really are delightful little creatures. Well done John!
ReplyDeleteSorry to have missed commenting on your last two posts, I am very behind with everything :(
I think it was game set and match to the Magpie on Friday though :)
Hello Jan. It is nice to have a variety of wildlife around the gardens. I was lucky to spot that one.
ReplyDeleteThe Collared Dove didn't exactly put up much resistance ;)
I'm wrestling with some ideas for extra lighting in the front garden as it is so dark. Looks like it could be some cheap, bright waterproof 12V LED lights mounted in short lengths of gutter downpipe when I can work out a neat way of capping the pipe.
Well spotted, the seasons are all over the place.
ReplyDeleteHow brilliantly it is camoflaged! perhaps it should be re-named chameleon newt, or even the concrete newt!
ReplyDeleteIt’s me again, John! Just catching up on your postings. I’ll save you time replying to any more back postings and stop here :-)
ReplyDeleteI am always fascinated to see your newts. My pond works have been going nowhere lately but the idea of newts arriving when it is up and running is just brilliant. It may well not happen so I’ve always got yours to enjoy seeing! Yes, good job you were watching where you were walking. Lovely shots :-D
I completely sympathise with the problem of photographing the bird activity in the garden with the variety of weather we can get thrown at us. Some days are quite dark at the moment too. You still manage to get good shots though :-D
LOL at the coconut feeders… I had a feeling you’d get starlings emptying them with no time to wait! I also tried putting the fat balls in the empty shells. Yep… I know it will still go quickly but it is fun to watch what the birds make of it too :-D
Just to say I enjoy catching up with your blog on my iPhone especially if I’ve been out and stopped for a coffee/lunch. On a few occasions I’ve left comments using my phone too but its not fool proof when my signal dips! It’s fun to browse on the move. My phone also lets me browse the smaller YouTube videos too so I can view yours which is great :-D
Hi Adrian. They certainly are.
ReplyDeleteHello Matron. It was well camouflaged on the wet concrete.
ReplyDeleteHello Shirl. You are having a busy night. I don't expect people to comment on everything.
ReplyDeletePossibly I have several resident newts as much of the open land near me has been built on and I understand a builder filled in a large natural pond which I am told had resident great crested newts.
I have only just started experimenting with the internet on my phone. I find multi tap spelling very frustrating and it took me ages to find out where the underscore was hidden :( Also reception in the village is very patchy, especially indoors.
Also frustrating is seeing the adverts for the new Sony Ericsson phone with a 12M pixel camera!!