Priddy Toad Patrol

Every year a valiant team of volunteers meets at Stockhill Wood at dusk on warm (above 5°C) and wet evenings to help the toads cross the road! Toads are ancestral amphibians and return to their natal ponds to breed. Priddy Mineries is a thriving amphibian breeding location. Toads (and other amphibians such as frogs and newts) spend most of their year resting up terrestrially in damp hiding places but they return to the pond in late winter to breed. Road mortalities are one of the reasons that toad populations are declining in Britain. That’s where we can help out! Toad patrols can help halt this decline.

What do you need to get involved? Good waterproofs, a bucket, a high-viz jacket and a powerful torch. Then it’s just a case of walking up and down the road picking up amorous amphibians, popping them in your bucket and carefully carrying them over to the ponds. Even if you don’t fancy coming out with your bucket, you can still help by driving slowly, keeping an eye out for creatures crossing the roads up at Stockhill. There will be a ‘Toads Crossing’ sign put up to help you remember to drive really slowly and carefully, not just to avoid squashing our species but also to ensure that all those lovely volunteers in high-viz jackets do not have to jump out of the way of you! You can also go and visit the Mineries to hear the amazing sound of the male chorus as they try and woo the female toads! If you would like to get involved, please let me know.

j.clements@priddyparish.gov.uk