Toads 2010

[sbeau66]

do toads mate later than frogs or at the same time? has anyone seen a toad yet in their ponds, i usually have several but none seen this year?

[aeshna5]

Yes toads tend to spawn later than frogs.

[Dogghound]

A reason why you may not have any yet is the very cold winter and still relatively cold temperatures we have, this will keep the toads unactive for longer so you may find they are afew weeks late.

[sbeau66]

good, i,m pleased they are later because i,ve only just sorted out their spawning pond, i had 8+ mating pairs last year, and billions of toadpoles!

[toadpole]

Oh i am sooooooo keeping my fingers and toes crossed for toadspawn this yr ...i had a pond built for that reason .....i just love them .....have loads in my garden in the summer months and they hibernate there too ....but nothing this yr ...they spawned in my neibours pond last yr so i had some of her taddies ...but shes moved now so dont really know how the new neibours will react if a 52 yr old woman with a net and bucket knocks on their door and asks to go pond dipping !!!!!... well theres still hope ....it seems nobody has seen any toad action yet ...even the frogs are a bit behind ...so i will just keep waiting patiently here in little old surrey

[SJANSELL]

Hi,

We found two toads, one on top of the other, tucked down a crevice between a stone path and the edge of the stones by the pond. I guess they weren't mating as I think that happens just in water. As I had tidied all around them, I just lent a tile over them and they were there like that for at least a couple of days, but I just went to check and they have gone. Our main pond is quite shallow, but maybe they will use a very little deep one we have.

I found a good couple of BBC clips on toads, one croaking and one on mating: BBC - Wildlife Finder - Common toad (video, facts and news)

I also disturbed another toad nearby, under some leaves in a raised bed - it looked pretty sleepy, but I put it by a crevice in the stones and it disappeared into it.

My neighbour came round to look at our frogs heaving about in the pond and said she had disturbed a toad which screamed at her - I thought she was lucky it didn't squirt on her, which I have had before! Maybe it was a frog?

Our garden is very untidy, but it does pay off in terms of wildlife! Sarah

[toadpole]

I have never heard of a Toad screaming but have witnessed a Frog doing it on many an occassion...sadly it has allways been one of my cats that has been the cause ...he has never killed one or injured one to my knowledge .and boy oh boy does he lose interest when they scream at him it is obviously their defence mechanism the same as the toads secreting their toxins out of their skin .....my best friend tresa is scared of frogs ..toads..snakes ..worms (anything living really!!!!) and she has had to drive around to my house to collect me so i can remove one or the other out of her garden ...and when i mentioned that Chester(my cat) has been screamed at many times by frogs and someone else backed me up on that ...she no longer ventures into the garden unless someone is with her ....she really is petrified ....your poor neibour !.... it has nearly made me jump out of my skin before and i LOVE the little devils

[toadpole]

just watched that link ... thank you for sharing that ...would love to go and visit THAT pond !!!!!Marion

[Malcolm Banks]

Yes thanks Sarah for the toad site, very good, the pond does look a bit special, more like a lake!! Obviously a very good habitat for amphibians.
As I mentioned on one of the frogspawn threads, I would really love to see some toadspawn in my pond, but hadn't seen a toad anywhere near the pond.
Well tonight I went out and there was the usual melee of frogs around the increasing masses of spawn. But sitting quietly in about 15cm of water on the other side of the pond and, unlike the frogs, unmoved by my torchlit attention, was a fat toad - a female I think. I know it takes 2 to tango but I will be out early tomorrow morning looking for the double strings (I thought they were single strings until I saw the toad site!) Well pleased
M

[toadpole]

WOW how exciting ....have had 2 torchlight visits to the pond tonight ..think i might of fallen in with excitement if i had seen a toad ...nearly wet myself when i found the frogs ....it is obviously getting to the right conditions for them to venture out ......i was told they really like a wet mild night when its been above 5 degrees for a few days ....i think i may go back out and do a little rain dance before bed !! marion