Midwife Toads

troglodytes50 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-07-2006, 12:59 PM

Hi All
I'm fairly new to these forums, and was just browsing and realised no-one had mentioned Midwife Toads. I live in North Bedfordshire, which seems to be a bit of a stronghold for these creatures. We have had them in our garden for the past 4 years and at last have just about got used to their sonar like beeping.
Even up to April this year we had at least half a dozen I could see, and probably at least a dozen beeping. Last month we discovered giant tadpoles in the pond, and after a little research discovered they were midwife toad tadpoles, about twice the size of a midwife toad itself. We were worried that these monsters would feast on the Newt tadpoles, and Newt eggs but could find no information to confirm or refute this. There were at least 10 of these tadpoles.
After a few weeks we no longer saw them so wondered if they had become proper midwife toads. But the strange thing is that there is now very little beeping in the garden and as far as we can tell only ever two beeping toads, plus we haven't seen any. They still seem to be going great guns in large numbers further down the road (which is where I think they originated from) but have suddenly dwindled in our garden. I'm not complaining because I would much prefer our garden to be home to only indiginous species, and I have to confess that the noise that a dozen of these tiny little amphibians make is way out of proportion to their size and can keep even the easiest of sleepers awake.
I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts as to what happened to the tadpoles, and why our garden has almost become off limits
Best wishes
Trog

Captain Kev · #2 (**permalink**) 07-07-2006, 01:27 PM

Here's some info on the Midwife toad, an Illegal immigrant.
Incidentally this looks a great site for info on introduced Amphibians & reptiles

Take a peek at:
http://www.threadnaught.net/~caleb/ukintro.html

katiepenn · #3 (**permalink**) 08-07-2006, 01:36 PM

Started a reply but now confused. What I asked was how small are midwife toads? Apart from their size what other distinguishing features do they have?
katiepenn

troglodytes50 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 05:36 PM

Hi katiepenn
Midwife toads, according to the literature I have found, are about 5cm in size, and the tadpoles 9cm. I have seen Midwife Toads as small as my finger nail up to on average an inch in size. I can concurr that the tadpoles are huge!!
They are greeny/grey/brown in colour, but the most distinguishing feature is the noise they make. Some say a bell type noise, others, and I agree like the sound of sonar. However you describe it, the noise is very loud, way out of proportion to the size of the toad!
Hope that helps
Trog

pete baker · #5 (**permalink**) 19-07-2006, 09:54 PM

Hi Trog
Thank goodness you wrote, we thought we were going mad and about to scud missile the neighbours for a pesky burglar alarm !! After a walk around the block and endeavouring to i/d the culprit when we stumbled on the neighbour at the back of our garden, got talking, and he said 'I can explain the noise' and guess what.... midwife toads in his pond and other houses in the area. Apparently the noise subsides in August. You're in Bedfordshire and we are in Hertfordshire ...are they spreading? .. will the protective / mating call drive us all nuts as they expand in population next year!!! Does anyone have a solution, before someone does something!!
Pete

henrya · #6 (**permalink**) 20-07-2006, 12:51 PM

I've heard the call likened to that of Scops Owl (which only helps if you know what one of them sounds like!) and also to the beeps you get (or used to get) on some ES radios.

henrya

gunhar · #7 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 08:08 PM

I live in Bromham (Bedfordshire), and in recent years the noise from the midwife toads has been unbelievable. At first I didn't know what the noise was and I asked the environmental health to come out and check the noise, I thought it was a house alarm that was beeping. They confirmed that it was indeed the dreaded midwife toad. They normally make the most noise between June and August..Just when you need to leave your windows open at night, due to the hot nights. This year(2008) they have started incredibly early, March, absolutely unheard of..Luckily its too cold and the windows are shut tight. If anyone says that the noise these things make is brill obviously hasn't had to live with them...The noise just grates..Oh well that's nature, So I guess we will have to live with them.

lizard orchid · #8 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 09:00 PM

I have seen Midwife Toads in a number of localities. 2 sites in both Yorkshire and Northamptonshire. I heard about one woman coming out with a stick at 2 in the morning and bashing it. I think the noise woke her up. I have not heard the population near me calling yet. With this warm weather I would expect it will start them off.

Brian Laney Northants County Recorder for Reptiles and Amphibians

wildlifesnapper · #9 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 09:14 PM

Hi

there's a colony near me but I havn't been for a couple of years. I'm going to check this year , end of this month, to see how they are doing.

Here's a male from a couple of years ago

neil

troglodytes50 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-06-2008, 08:33 AM

Well the Midwife toads in my garden are still going strong. In fact a couple of them seem to 'beep' 24 hours a day! Mind you it's easier to cope with the noise in the daytime when there are other things going on. At night the large chorus is all a bit much!
I think I have resigned myself to the fact that they will be a permanent feature here!
best wishes
Trog