Urban gem is place to lounge if you want to spot a lizard
SUBURBAN Birmingham may seem to be an unlikely home for the miniature cousins of caymans, cobras and crocodiles that live in this country.
There are though populations of common lizards and slow-worms (legless lizards) in various places around the conurbation.
Now the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is fundraising for the Dawberry Fields Reptile Project, in partnership with the local community and the City Council’s Naturally Birmingham Future Parks Accelerator Programme (...maybe a crocodile could provide a ‘snappier’ title for the programme!)
Dawberry Fields Neighbourhood Park is a surprisingly large park tucked away in Brandwood, close to Kings Heath.
Like many similar parks it is an important green space both for local people and local wildlife.
Nearby resident Kim keeps an eye on the wildlife there, including bats and butterflies, and describes it as a ‘hidden gem’.
She hopes to add the lizards and slow-worms to her wildlife watching.
According to Andy Slater of
EcoRecord, the local wildlife records centre, ‘Dawberry Fields is one of just a handful sites in Birmingham and the Black Country where there are both slow-worms and lizards.
It is thought to link to other important reptile sites along the river Rea including Lifford Reservoir and Kings Norton Local Nature Reserve.
Together these are probably the most important area for reptiles in south Birmingham.
There are only five other places where lizards have been recorded in recent years, including Sutton Park and Fens Pools in Dudley.
The Trust hopes to raise at least £2,000 to help create better habitat for the reptiles.
This will include installing banks and stony areas the creatures can use for basking and hibernation.
Wildflower areas will also be created to benefit other species such as bees and birds.
Hamira Sultan, consultant in public health and Future Parks Accelerator Director said: “Through our work, we have seen more people and families use the park, and I am sure this project to help the slowworms and lizards will encourage even more people to do so. “Lockdown and Covid 19 has shown us how important parks are to us, so let’s use this opportunity to show parks how much we care about them too. People need parks and parks need people. Thank you for all your support.”
Lizards and slow-worms sometimes appear elsewhere, such as gardens and allotments.
EcoRecord welcomes reports of sightings at enquiries@ ecorecord,org.uk or on twitter @ EcoRecording.