Toads by Torchlight
On meeting the local amphibians and understanding the challenges they face
“What are you doing? You’re not supposed to be in there,” the little boy shouts at us from the other side of the railings. We reassure him that we are there officially and that our reason for being next to the pond in the fading evening light is to look for toads. Once it is quiet again, we listen out for the amphibians as well as trying to catch a glimpse of them by shining torches into the water.
I’m here in Telegraph Hill Park with a small group led by Emily from Nature’s Gym, Lewisham Council’s conservation volunteering programme. Emily is by her own admission a huge fan of toads and is very keen to share her enthusiasm and vast knowledge of amphibians. We’d started a couple of hours earlier with a short talk about some of the main features of the ones we’re likely to see here – the common frog, the common toad and the smooth newt. I already knew that the main way of distinguishing frogs from toads is by their smooth stripy skin but it’s fascinating to learn that each frog has its own distinctive patterns on its skin which they develop at a young age and retain throughout their life so in theory (and if you could get good enough photos) you ought to be able to tell whether a frog that visits your garden this summer is one that visited last year too.
Frogs also have much longer legs than toads allowing them to leap out of danger more easily. The slower moving toads rely on the fact that they contain toxins which deter predators from eating them. It is the skin glands used to store these toxins which give the toads their lumpy, warty appearance. Unfortunately, relying on keeping still and having obnoxious tasting skin doesn’t serve toads particularly well as a defence against the dangers posed by the built environment, particularly those they encounter when migrating to their breeding ponds. Sadly, it’s estimated that around 20 tonnes of toads are killed attempting to cross the UK’s roads each year.
While frogs are fairly flexible and will often make use of any available area of still water, the toads’ habit of returning each year to the same ponds also puts them at a disadvantage in the modern world. This loyalty to a particular place means they have little chance of breeding if the pond they rely on is filled in for development or becomes inaccessible as a result of new fences and walls being installed, or simply becomes unusable due to neglect. As a result of all these threats, the toad has been identified as a priority species for protection in the UK, and that’s part of the reason we’re here in the park tonight checking they’re still thriving in ponds where they have previously been seen in large numbers.
Telegraph Hill Park is divided into two and the two ponds are in the lower part of the park which is separated from the upper part of the park by Kitto Road. After local people spotted dozens of toads crossing Kitto Road as they travelled towards the ponds, the road was designated as an official ‘toad crossing’ and during the migration season volunteers now go out each evening in hi-vis jackets to help the toads cross safely. Kitto Road is closed to traffic at one end so fortunately there are not too many vehicles but in some places, such as Charlcombe Lane in Bath, local authorities close roads for a few weeks each year to increase the chances of frogs, toads and newts being able to cross safely. It’s great to hear of so much effort going into ensuring these creatures survive but it also upsetting to think that that we have to put these special measures in place to protect other species from the damage inflicted by our own species.
Our focus tonight is on the amphibians that have already made it in to the lower park. While it is still daylight, we search round the edges of the ponds, lifting up logs and bits of dead wood to see what’s underneath. At the first pond, I spot a frog nearly straightaway but unfortunately it is dead, almost certainly predated as it appears to have been partly eaten – its lower jaw and one limb are missing. Soon after we find a couple of live frogs under a log, they are tiny froglets, probably less than a year old according to Emily who tells us frogs take several years to grow to full size, something I hadn’t appreciated before. We find several smooth newts too and a couple of toads.
We move on to the second pond and as the light starts to fade things get more interesting as that’s when we can use torches to see what’s going on in the water. But first, there is the unexpected delight of seeing bats flitting above us in the twilight, clearly feeding on the insects that have been attracted here by the water, another example of why ponds are so valuable for wildlife. I’ve seen bats a few times before including on specially organised bat walks and even spy them from my garden occasionally, but this is by far the best sighting I have ever had of them and is somehow all the more special because it isn’t what we came here looking for.
Then when it gets properly dark, the torches allow us to spot quite a few toads, singly and in groups of two or three, floating leisurely on the water, or swimming slowly around. And just before we need to leave, we see a mating pair with the much smaller male clinging to the female’s back. This species whose existence is officially defined as “near threatened” across England is here living alongside us in the country’s largest city, in this pond in a well-used park surrounded by busy streets and bus routes, and just a short walk from where I live. Knowing toads can still thrive here gives me hope for the future.
To finish….
…a few things I’d like to share:
1. Guide to creating a garden pond: According to The Wildlife Trusts, creating a pond is one of the best ways of attracting wildlife to your garden. We made the tiniest of ponds in our tiny garden a few years ago and now see frogs here every year.
2. Toads on Roads: The website for the charity Froglife includes lots more information about ‘toad crossings’ and how to get involved in a local Toad Patrol if you’d like to help ensure their safe migration in future. Froglife have also created an app to allow you to report your sightings of amphibians.
3. Radio 4 Open Country programme on Wilder London: It covers some other examples of more unusual wildlife sightings in London, including the beavers that have been reintroduced in Ealing.
An interesting read Ruth, so thanks for that. It reminded me of the extremely large toads I encountered on my visits to Paraguay. Every night when it was pitch black, you could hear them croaking at high volume. They seemed to flourish there, probably because of the lack of roads and large undeveloped areas where nature still rules.