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It's a Friday night at half past seven, but rather than heading to the pub or watching a film, I've taken a train to a town in Wiltshire to join volunteers from a toad patrol. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

A Worrying Drop in Numbers

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest study led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Seeing a creature that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "ought to live quite well in most of habitats in the UK," meaning if even they are not managing to survive, "it indicates that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Danger from Traffic

Though the study didn't examine the causes for the decline, traffic certainly plays a part. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are killed on UK roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "if you left out a small container," toads favor big bodies of water. Their capacity to remain away from water for longer than frogs allows they can journey farther to find them – often hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their traditional paths – it's common for mature amphibians to return to their natal pond to mate.

Breeding Patterns

Fittingly, the first toads start their journey for a partner around February 14th, but others travel as late as April, waiting until it gets dark and travelling through the night. During that time, toads start moving from wherever they have been overwintering "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been working to save its toad population since he was a boy, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their route crosses a road, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would be lost – stopping a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the UK

Finding many of toad carcasses on local roads "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the formation of toad patrols across the UK – 274 groups are currently registered with a countrywide program. These groups pick up toads and transport them across roads in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and lobbying for other protection measures, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Patrols usually work during the breeding period, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this implies they can miss numbers of toadlets, which, having existed as spawn and then juveniles, leave their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their size – just one or two centimetres wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's harder to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are lost, their remains can be counted.

Year-Round Efforts

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth season of operating, go out throughout the year – not every night, but whenever weather are damp, or if a member has posted about a amphibian spotting in their messaging app. When I request to accompany them on patrol, they concede it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a dry day – but a few of the helpers willingly accept to walk up and down their area with me and search for any toads. "Should anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the patrol manager, indicating her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. After for 120 minutes without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a barbed wire fence to inspect beneath some wood.

Family Participation

The mother and son joined the group a while back. The youngster adores all things nature-related and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for things they could do together to protect local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner tells me – so when the group was looking for a fresh coordinator recently, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has played an important role in the group. A clip he created, urging the municipal authority to block a road through a nature reserve during migration season, swung the decision the team's way. After a twelve months of campaigning, the council approved an "access-only" rule between evening and morning from February through to spring. Most drivers duly avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Challenges

A few vehicles go past when I'm out on patrol and we find some victims as a result – no toads, but several crushed salamanders. We see one living newt as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a harvestman, which moves in his palms. Yet in spite of the group's hardest attempts to show me a toad, the native community has clearly gone dormant for the colder months. It appears that I couldn't have found any better success anywhere else in the country – all the rescue teams I reach out to explain that it's very difficult at this season.

The group expects to help approximately 10,000 adult toads across the road

One email I get from a different helper, who has kindly made the effort to check for toads in a noted location, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad population in the UK, reaches me with the subject line: "No toads." However, in late winter, he tells me, the team plans to assist approximately 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these groups actually make? "The fact that volunteers are performing this consistently on chilly, wet and miserable evenings is remarkable," notes an researcher. "This effort that very much deserves recognition." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since traffic is just one danger.

Other Dangers

The global warming has resulted in longer periods of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the animals that toads consume, such as invertebrates, while warmer ponds have led to an rise of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to wake up from their hibernation more frequently, interfering with the resource preservation vital to their existence. Loss of environment – especially the loss of big water bodies – is another menace.

Experts are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads play an important role in the food chain, consuming pretty much any small creatures or tiny organisms they can fit in their mouths and in turn feeding a variety of birds and mammals, such as hedgehogs and otters. Improving situations for toads – such as building water habitats, protecting forests and installing toad tunnels – "we'll improve them for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Historical Importance

An additional motive to try to keep toads present is their "important cultural value," adds an expert. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred