Toad Newt and Frog Patrol
Catcreep Springwatch survey results
from page 2 of The Round Hill Reporter June 2020
Through February and March a growing team of ‘Toad Patrollers’ headed out almost every night to monitor amphibian numbers on the ‘Cat Creep’, to spread awareness amongst passers-by and to help protect migrating toads, newts and frogs from the perils of using this popular pedestrian shortcut linking Round Hill Crescent and Richmond Road.
During that time we had 782 amphibian sightings! It’s the first ‘official’ year of data- collection for the Toad Crossing, but what a mega migration! Warmer, wetter nights seemed to see the higher numbers. The 16th and 23rd Feb had over 50 amphibians counted, the 10th and 15th March had 76 and 43 counted. These data will make for an impressive contribution to local record centres and amphibian groups and will help inform local and national amphibian conservation efforts. Records have been submitted to: Froglife (who co- ordinate Toad Crossings nationally), the Sussex Amphibian and Reptile Group (SxARG) and Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre .
Lessons learnt
While many Roundhill residents are well-aware of our annual toad phenomenon, it was still news to a lot of folks the patrol team would meet on the steps. So I think a must-have for next year would be some improvements to our signage – with special reference to newts as well as toads. Unfortunately, while our bigger and ‘hoppy-er’ amphibians seemed this year to escape any trampling-casualties, we found our newts took a bit of a pummelling... In fact, almost 10% of newt sightings were of squashed newts rather than live ones ☹. Awareness of newts seemed to be comparatively lacking amongst those whom patrollers met on the steps – and there’s no denying these smaller, well-camouflaged critters are harder to spot!
Kate Wolstenholme.
Easy to see toad couple.
Harder to spot newt.
A newt walks past one toad and three newts hiding in the crack.
Carry a Torch for Toads
And help count them.
See The Round Hill Reporter March 2021
One newt has been seen on the Catcreep already this year, sadly it was just before the snow and big freeze. Soon newts and toads will be crossing the Catcreep in large numbers, especially on damp dark evenings. Last year we had our first official Toad Crossing patrols, to alert people to the amphibians and to count them. At the end of their migration season over 700 toads and newts had been seen.
This year it is unlikely that groups will carry out this activity, but hopefully individuals will visit the catcreep with torch, notebook and pencil to count animals and engage with people using the catcreep (suitably distanced of course). There will be a notice at each end of the passage to alert users, but being shown the beasts can better engage people. Toads seem to have better survival skills than newts. Perhaps the newts freeze when they become aware of people, but that does not save them from being squashed underfoot, and they can be hard to see.
Please keep an eye out for these delightful amphibians, and carry a torch, or use you mobile phone lamp function. If you want to count, just head out anytime from dusk and move slowly up or down the steps peering into nooks, crannies and any weedy places, as well as scanning the path and steps. You can pass on your numbers, along with date and times you surveyed, to committee member Kate Wolstenholme (see back page for contact info).
Toad Tally-awesome
From The Round Hill Reporter June 2021
During the late months of winter and the early months of spring, amphibians return to their spawning grounds to mate. We are delighted to report that the ponds of Roundhill have been very productive for amphibians. More and more seem to be turning up. It is fascinating to see just how successful amphibians have been within this urban, densely-populated, human-created environment. It seems if we create the right conditions to live harmoniously with nature, it is not only foxes that can thrive in our urban world.
In particular, it seems as if the Cat’s Creep, a stepped-twitten between Roundhill Crescent and Richmond Road, has become a regular strip for amphibians wanting to flirt and court, before returning to their ponds in nearby gardens and procreating. Last year, during the months of February and March, the Roundhill Society, led by Kate Wolstenholme, spearheaded a toad patrol on Cat’s Creep. The numbers of amphibians along the twitten had seemed to be growing since 2015 and the Society was concerned about the amphibians' safety as they could easily be crushed by people walking up and down the steps. This year, during lockdown, a community of toad patrollers has fledged from the Society’s initial efforts last year. Up to seven members of our community regularly volunteered to patrol the twitten during their mating period, count amphibians and put up signs warning not to tread on our amphibian friends.
The volunteers communicated via WhatsApp and kept records on Google spreadsheets (other apps are available). Anecdotally the project was a great success. The people using the twitten were all aware of the amphibians; they were friendly and interested to talk to the patrollers and share experiences. Almost everyone using the steps turned on their phone torches to avoid accidentally stepping on an amphibian.
As a result casualties were massively down since last year, with very few squashed amphibians found. Neighbours to the twitten who had ponds were aware and supportive of what we were doing. One of them even shaved the bottom of his garden gate to allow easy passage for the bigger frogs and toads to move between their garden and the twitten.
The data we collected was interesting. Amphibians were found in much higher numbers on wet and rainy days. February of 2020 was stormy and more importantly warm and wet. In contrast, February and March of 2021 were much colder and drier than last year. As a result the amphibians were seen in high numbers a whole month later this year than last. Unfortunately this year there were fewer sightings. In 2020 we tallied four hundred and fifteen toad sightings and one hundred and twenty three newt sightings, but in 2021 we only tallied three hundred and sixty three toad sightings and thirty two newt sightings. These are still good numbers, but of course this is not a trend we want to see. We will carry on monitoring amphibian numbers on the steps in future years.
We will, of course, be sharing our data with the amphibian charity Froglife (with whom the Cat Creep Toad Crossing is registered), the Sussex Amphibian & Reptile Group (Sussex ARG - do join for info & events, if interested!) and our local environmental records holder, the Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre (Sussex BRC - check out their website & get out there recording wildlife!). Amphibians are in steep decline worldwide and we are able to provide evidence that our urban spaces can be an important locale to protect threatened species. We hope the data will be used to make sure passage to the ponds is maintained in perpetuity. Collecting records is a vital first step to protecting wildlife. Without collecting records and having them held by groups like Sussex BRC, the existence of protected species can go undetected and not inform decision-making around our use of our environment, such as the impacts of any proposed developments - every little helps when it comes to recording wildlife.
We would like to thank everyone involved in the project, those of you with ponds that support amphibians (and other wildlife) and all of you who use the twitten and take care to avoid the little creatures courting beneath our feet. Please take care with our amphibians and do not take them or move them; interfering with them can put them at risk from the many dangerous diseases that are now rife - and we've all learnt the importance of biosecurity in recent times!
Next year we will be looking for more people willing to join the toad patrollers. It’s great fun so please register your interest via the 'Toads on Roads' Froglife initiative, where you'll find a map of Toad Crossings near you - including our famous urban one!, and one of us will get back to you :) We look forward to a Covid-free year of toading next year (!), where we will be looking at more diverse ways to keep each other in touch and involved, and ways to coordinate not exclusive to WhatsApp! (Apologies from Kate, who had to dip out a bit this year, and may have missed a few of your enquiries.) The Toadally Awesome 2021 Toaders: Paolo & Mia Oprandi, Annie Harper, Eva Wendler, Moira Faulkner, Kelly Westlake, Nicola Jackson, Tom Johnson and Kate Wolstenholme.
January can drag... but February can be hopping
The Round Hill Reporter December 2021
Yes, those green and slimy little glimmers of hope, which let us know that Spring will surely spring again soon enough. 'Fear not, nature's got this, won't be long now'...
When night time temperatures begin to succeed about 5*C, and usually after a good dumping of rain, our local amphibians respond to the call of nature and emerge from their winter hibernation with one thing on their minds: get to the breeding ponds.
Toads in particular can be especially loyal and will endeavour almost robotically to return to the same ponds year on year - may nothing stand in their way! This makes the migration period one of the most vulnerable times in an amphibian's life story; should they not make it, there goes a whole future generation of spawn not replaced.
Luckily for the amphibians migrating between ponds linked by the Cat Creep, they are minded by the caring and curious community of Roundhillers they share their habitat with :)
So next year, as February approaches, keep your eyes peeled for the start of this glorious little wildlife spectacle we are privileged to witness right on our doorsteps - and please keep up the great work and use a torch / phone light to CHECK BEFORE YOU STEP!
If you're in need of a reason to inspire getting out of the house for a quick evening wander, a little encouragement in not letting the February weather keep you from getting some fresh air and a few steps in, a mindful moment in nature to decompress at the end of the working day and ease the transition into the evening, then why not join a neighbour on a 'toad patrol' one evening to find out more?
Sometimes you can hear them serenading under the moonlight...
Kate Wolstenholme.
This page was last updated by Ted on 21-Apr-2026