I’m a bad influence.

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As I’m sure many of you know, this is the breeding season for amphibians and I’ve been out several times on ‘toad patrol’ in the evenings. We had a couple of mild evenings when a few dozen toads were on the move, but that was followed by several frosty nights when the toads were clever enough to know that they needed to hunker down and we saw absolutely nothing. Then yesterday the weather forecast predicted rain and mild temperatures so the troops were warned we might be needed. Right on cue, at 3 pm, it started to rain. By dusk it was slackening off but it was still damp and mild. As I rushed to grab a bit of dinner and get the bits and pieces together I asked if the girls wanted to join me. The last few times they declined as it was too cold, but this time they both decided to come along. There was a bit of a scramble to find coats, gloves, hats, boots, waterproofs, hi-vis jackets and torches but we were soon out and walking up and down the verge along with half a dozen or so other volunteer patrollers. The rain started to slacken off and was replaced by fog. Some frogs started to pop out but we were just starting to think the toads were staying in the woods when Big One spotted the first toad, followed a minute or so later by Little One spotting the next. After that there was a steady stream of toads coming creeping out to the roadside. We carefully picked them up and carried them in buckets to a central point where, every hour or so, the numbers of males, females and pairs was counted before they were carried across the road and carefully deposited in the damp grass and leaves on the other side. Luckily at the moment, partly due to Covid, there is less traffic, and we also had a good number of patrollers, so by 8:30 I thought I’d better take the girls home. If there had been more toads, less traffic or fewer patrollers I would have called my partner to pick them up so I could stay on later. However they had other ideas. Around 9pm my partner called to ask if he was going to get his girls back? I told him I was trying, but they were refusing to leave as they were having far too much fun! So we decided to let them stay a bit later. After all, this is the last week before we all have to get back into the dreaded routine of getting up early to go to actual school rather than home schooling so we might as well seize the few advantages! Finally, just before 10pm, I managed to drag them away - after they had delivered several more jumpy frogs to the verge, checked and counted one more batch of toads, and carefully transported them all to be released after each one had been given a gentle little stroke! They would have stayed longer if we had agreed. Of course by the time we got home we were all quite hungry as well and needed supper before bed so it was a very late night but it was worth it! All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2021.