11/04/2023
Back in January, I happened across an instagram post by Froglife about "Toad Patrols"... as a bit of a herps nerd I was curious as to what these were all about...
February and March rolled around and I found myself out several evenings a week, donning a high-vis jacket, bucket in one hand, torch in the other, keenly scanning my local tarmac toad-way for these warty little creatures crawling their way towards the nearby breeding pond.
As you can imagine, toads vs cars poses a serious problem... It is estimated that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads each year! On top of traffic, toads are at threat from habitat loss, pollution and climate change. "Common" Toad populations have declined by 68% in the UK over the past 30 years.
Enter, Toad Patrols!... At migration hotspots across the UK, patrollers head out to assist our amphibious fellows, scooping them up, plopping them in a bucket, and safely ferrying them to breeding site. On top of this, patrols provide an opportunity to collect useful data that is fed into national monitoring projects which may help build a better picture of how the UK’s toad population is faring.
So, if you made it this far in to the post, thank you... and why not consider signing up to a toad patrol in your area next year! In the meantime, enjoy a few of my favourite photos I managed to snap with my macro set up during a toad patrol season.
(If you'd like the original files of these photos, please do reach out 🙂)
