Like toads? Fancy becoming a toad patroller? Then Froglife's initiative is for you. There is plenty of useful information about how to register and what to do next. Check out the site here. Enjoy.
Excellent..No transport these days & nowhere near any crossings,sadly but...unsolicited emails sent out to all my relatives and friends using the postcode/crossing finder method.Have allocated,I mean,suggested to them :-) a spot where they can help out. Great site & come on forumites...jump to it.
If you are now thinking....toads don`t jump....then you have demonstrated enough knowledge to make you the ideal volunteer imho.
They have a similar thing over here near to Meschers. Each year the local agricultural college put in a plastic barrier each side of about 1km of busy road. The toads sit & wait at the barrier & get carried across in buckets & then in the morning they get carried back. They have a team of about 30 & take it turns to do it, 2/3 people per shift. In 2013 they transported 2583 toads at this one crossing. Previously hundreds were squashed. The local authority also put a 30km/hr speed limit on the road for the duration of the migration between the forest & the ponds.
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
I thought I'd bump this up & put on a few of my local toads, frogs & newts too!
The first is a Natterjack toad which we've only seen once but may have come in a load of building sand
Then one day when I was mowing this little beauty jumped out in front of me & nearly got mowed, its a parsley frog
the French call it a toad, but there you go.
then we saw it again the following year, it came down the stairs & we found it on it's way to the bathroom! That was in 2011 & we've not seen it since.
This is known as Toad in the Hole
We leave roof tiles on the soil to attract the slugs & snails, & the toads make a little home there, breakfast in bed LOL!
This is a salamandre we found when out butterfly hunting
& a marbled newt photo from 1996!!
& a more recent pair found when picnicing
& I've left my favourite for last, A Green lizard,
We see quite a lot of them & I love them they are so beautiful
Anyone else got any photos?
Tell all your friends about the help a toad cross the road campaign & maybe they'll find their prince charming!!
Thanks for posting those wonderful pictures Hazel, especially the Parsley frogs!
Lovely photos, Hazel.
I haven't got any photos of toads but I can offer this Marsh Frog seen at RSPB Rainham.
And what I believe is a Balkan Marsh Frog sitting on the shoulder of Richard Thaxton (of Loch Garten) in Lesvos in 2009.
And a gorgeous Sicilian Wall Lizard from last September in Sicily.
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Awesome shots TJ, your challenge this year, should you choose to accept it, is to get a toad photo. Best ask Richard first though if you want the toad to be sat on his shoulder!
You're on MrsT. I'll go and have a rummage in the compost heap. I'll leave Richard in peace though. He's got enough to contend with at LG and the return of the Ospreys.
They are great photos TJ, the Balkan marsh frog looks a bit like a Tree frog doesn't it. I love the Scicilian Wall lizard,it looks more colouful than ours.
Got any snakes?
Hey, don't distract TJ from his mission Noisette ;)!
Sorry, I forgot it's hard for men to multitask. Ooooh! That was unfair wasn't it.