David Scott reported that the Common Toad Bufo bufo migration had started at Little
Leighs; several hundred toads had been rescued at the time of David's call which was in
the middle of March. He predicted that the migration would be finished within 2 weeks.
Last year over 600 toads were rescued from this country lane in Little Leighs (Scott
2004). The council have since provided two 'toads on roads' signs and these were doing
their job. According to David the traffic slows considerably when they see the signs.
David has noticed that the toads were utilising a drain culvert which lead under the road
he is hopeful that many toads are finding their own way to the breeding pond.
On the 17th March toads along with Smooth Newt Triturus vulgaris were seen within
ponds at the Thames Chase Communrty Woodland. I was leading volunteers on an early
Crested Newt survey. An ideal method for volunteers to monitor this declining amphibian
is to use a strong torch after dark. It is vital that repeated visits are made throughout the
breeding season (March to June). The numbers of newts seen within breeding ponds can
give an indication of relative breeding population size and ultimately the conservation
status of the species in localised areas. Only one Crested Newt was spotted within the
murky water of the second pond at Broadfields. We did manage to spot several male
toads in the shallows. We hope that newt numbers will increase over April to May and
we hope to assess this using follow up visits.
A similar situation occurred at the Writtle College Estate during a field visit for the
conservation staff. We were using torching after dark at 9 ponds and we only found one
female Crested Newt in an ornamental pond! However the College campus was found
to be home to the largest toad colony recorded so far in Essex. Well over 1000 toads
were counted and the sheer numbers of toads across the campus made the trek back
from the reservoirs and ponds quite tricky. You needed a torch to avoid stepping on the
toads! A clear surprise for the conservation staff, and for me, it was the largest number
of toads I have ever seen. It clearly shows that the habitats around the college provide an
important resource for biodiversity in Essex. Plenty of scope for student projects in the
future.
At Writtle College very good population of frogs were also present; over 300 clumps of
spawn was counted in several ponds. We will have to wait until later in the season to
determine the conservation status of the Smooth Newt and Crested Newt at the campus.
The newts have yet to reach their breeding peak which is predicted to be in mid April to
late May.
Several Crested Newt sites have already provided evidence of breeding in early April -
Thorndon Country Park (G Hart & R. Cranfield, pers. obs.), Broadfields Farm (J.
Cranfield, pers. obs.), Wat Tyler Country Park (J. Wright, pers. obs.), Magnolia LNR
(R. Cranfield, pers. obs.), and Doggetts Wildlife Area (R. Cranfield, pers. obs.).
16
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 47, May 2005