Common Lizards at Crossgates Quarry

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In Yorkshire Common Lizards are a component missing from most landscapes away from less intensively managed upland areas associated with the North York Moors and Pennines. There is a slight increase in prevalence along coastal areas. Lowland inland colonies are particularly sparse and are mainly associated with heaths and commons like Allerthorpe, Strensall and Skipwith. Away from these areas low density's occur but can be incredibly difficult to detect and often lie in low densities unnoticed. It is particularly important that surveyors bare this in mind that Common Lizards are not always found within conventional habitat types and without artificial refugia or lots of hours in the field can appear to be absent.

The locality where I live includes Crossgates Quarry, which is well within walking distance, although up until recently is a site I have neglected. Lockdown encouraged me to really get to grips with the place, I had checked on NBN Atlas for any interesting records there and it threw up Common Lizard. My first 3-4 months there failed to produce even a Common Lizard-like rustle in the grass, albeit I was only going once or twice a month in favour of other sites. With winter set in I left the site and forgot about lizards until the spring. 

In late February whilst looking along a fence line in the western section of the quarry, completely unexpectedly and completely out of the blue (as these things so often are) I disturbed a common lizard in the grass, then (also as thing so often are) I lifted up a long to find another curled up within it. I have since made another 3 sightings of Common Lizards within the quarry, totally at least 3 individuals. All have occurred between late February and early April and all have been found within an area of approximately 50 square metres. This habitat includes unimproved grassland with scattered Hawthorn, and a very slight south east aspect. This area also backs onto a private part of the quarry which I presume is where the majority of the populations persists. The eastern part is popular with dog walkers (causing disturbance and predation) and suffers from a mixture of excessive rabbit grazing through to the shading of banks by Sycamore leading to a poor homogeneous structure. 

Common Lizards avoid homogeneous habitats which lack micro habitats an d structural diversity, whether this is short closely grazed or mown grasslands, or rank enclosed grasslands. Common Lizard are particularly fussy about variability in vegetation height, especially when compared with other lizard species like Slow Worm. This species is found both within humid and dry habitats, with the quarry site being dry, although tussocks and scrub bases provide areas of raised humidity, contrasting with the shorter open dryer swards. Within the favourable area at Crossgates small grass tussocks, provide areas in which to shelter, bask and forage, tussocks like these also provide a sheltered sunny edge from cold spring winds. 

In the absence of excessive pedestrian or dog disturbance, habitat destruction or development there is every possibility this population with maintain itself. I have many years ago recorded a Common Lizard along Racecourse Road (which links Scarborough to East Ayton) which is approximately 2.3km north. It is unknown what populations are like on Irton Moor or Seamer Moor or indeed within the limestone quarries to the east of East Ayton, but evidently the species is present in the wider countryside around Crossgates Quarry as scattered relic populations. It is just annoying such large parts of this landscape are inaccessible private farmland.