Habitat Boost for Migrating Toads
A project to revitalize our front ponds along the entry boardwalk for wildlife was completed this month.
A project to revitalize our front ponds for wildlife was completed this month.
The ponds along the entrance boardwalk to WWT Arundel Wetland Centre’s visitor centre serve as temporary homes for Bufo Bufo, the common toad, when they migrate to the site between late January and March to breed.
Their journey to the ponds is often supported over the final 500 yards by our volunteer Toad Patrol, who scour the road at night during migration‑friendly weather. They help toads cross safely so they don’t become trapped in potholes or struck by cars on their way to and from the Black Rabbit pub in Offham.
After laying their eggs, the toads leave the ponds and their spawn to nature. In recent summers, however, the ponds have been getting progressively shallower due to silt build‑up and hot weather drying them out. This has affected the survival rate of tadpoles, and last year’s toad emergence in July was very limited.
Our winter desilting project may have looked like it created a lot of mud, but it successfully removed a significant amount of silt and increased the water holding capacity of these reedbed ponds.
The area may look bare now, but wetlands recover quickly. We are already seeing new growth in the reed fringes, snowflake flowers in bloom, and catkins appearing on the willow in the front pond. The Reserve Team have also unfurled the “Toad Crossing” signs along Mill Road in anticipation of the migration season.
The front ponds are also important habitat for water voles. This desilting work will help make the ponds suitable for their burrows once again.
Want to help wetland wildflife?
Contribute to conservation projects like this one by booking a visit to WWT Arundel Wetland Centre.
