Terrapins at Tooting commons (1 Viewer)

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nandbytes

Member

• May 18, 2017

• #1

Terrapins at Tooting commons, London

My first set of pictures on this forum. I suppose a bit ironic I am posting reptiles first on a birds forum.

Took me nearly 3 years to catch these. Apparently there are up to 5 sometimes basking in the sun but I'll take two now

 

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Last edited: May 18, 2017

Andy Adcock

Worst person on Birdforum

• May 18, 2017

• #2

Red-eared, a nuisance, alien release in many places which are culled when the opportunity arises I believe.


A

 

N

nandbytes

Member

• May 18, 2017

• #3

In news - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1660334.stm

looks like it got of hand much like parakeets in London. But parakeets seem to be much less in numbers now than say two years ago. They might have been culled also.

 

A

aeshna5

Well-known member

• May 19, 2017

• #4

nandbytes said:

In news - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1660334.stm

looks like it got of hand much like parakeets in London. But parakeets seem to be much less in numbers now than say two years ago. They might have been culled also.

Click to expand...

I'm not noticing any reduction in Ring-necked Parakeets + am aware of no widespread cull of this species- though believe there has been on Monk Parakeets to stop them becoming fully established as RNP. Both species are on General Licence so can be culled where they are having an impact such as vineyards to the south of London.

Don't think the terrapins have as much impact as corvids + gulls in London parks on duckling survival.

 

A

aeshna5

Well-known member

• May 19, 2017

• #5

andyadcock said:

Red-eared, a nuisance, alien release in many places which are culled when the opportunity arises I believe.


A

Click to expand...

Believe these belong to the sub-species called Yellow-bellied Slider, Trachemys scripta scripta.

 

Andy Adcock

Worst person on Birdforum

• May 19, 2017

• #6

aeshna5 said:

Don't think the terrapins have as much impact as corvids + gulls in London parks on duckling survival.

Click to expand...

The larger ones will take ducklings and there are numerous adult ducks at my local park in Nottingham with a foot missing dues to Terrapins. I know for a fact that they were culled here if thet could get near them, which wasn't easy apparently.


A

 

honeym

Well-known member

• May 19, 2017

• #7

aeshna5 said:

Believe these belong to the sub-species called Yellow-bellied Slider, Trachemys scripta scripta.

Click to expand...

It looks like both subspecies in the photos, Red-eared and Yellow-bellied, or an odd mix. Both can also be seen at the London Wetland Centre.

 

Last edited: May 19, 2017

N

nandbytes

Member

• May 22, 2017

• #8

do turtle species mix well?

Also didn't realise these were carnivores...

 

J

Jhanlon

Well-known member

• May 22, 2017

• #9

One of the main differences between these and the parakeets from an ecological perspective is that whereas the parakeets are prolific breeders, these are not. They are widespread in UK from releases (and escapes - I found one at the bottom of my garden in London when I was a kid) but for a long time there was no evidence of breeding, presumably due to our cool climate. I'm not sure of the current situation - a web search will probably provide some updated info - but I'd be surprised if there are more than a handful of confirmed breeding records even now. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Perhaps just as well as terrapins are bad news for native species, eating all manner of stuff. Parakeets might occupy a few nest holes here and there but I don't think they are generally considered a particularly aggressive coloniser in the ecological sense.

 

N

nandbytes

Member

• May 22, 2017

• #10

but I have certainly noticed less parakeets than say 2 years ago. Now I only see a few here and there, before it used to whole flocks of them!

 

honeym

Well-known member

• May 24, 2017

• #11

At one site in London I've seen numerous large terrapins but also tiny individuals, not something that I would expect to see 'thrown away,' so I consideed that they had bred there, taking advantage of London's warmer microclimate. I've recently been told that they have been removed from that site - possibly due to the damage they are stated to cause to young waterbirds, etc.
As for r-r parakeets, they are still numerous - and still spreading.
Martin