Why Survey for Toads and Other Amphibians?

A lot of attention has been given to other amphibian species in recent years as is exemplified by KRAG’s Great Crested Newt Monitoring Project. We now have a better understanding of where great crested newts are in the county, what their conservation status is and what the key sites are. However, this is not the case for common toads and it is also felt that common frogs are under-recorded as well. Common Toads have recently been made a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan which reflects the concern shared by many that the common toad might be under threat. Habitat loss, both ponds and terrestrial habitat, as well as deaths on roads during migration are both thought to contribute to the decline of the species.

All of the information that is collected by this project will be added to KRAG’s database of herpetofauna. This not only allows us to analyse the information that you send but also means that we can share the data with other partner organisations such as conservation organisations, academic institutions and planning authorities. KRAG’s objectives for the project include:

• Identify more toad breeding sites
• Gain a better understanding of toad distribution in the county
• Identify the most important toad sites
• Develop a habitat suitability model for toads

• Have you seen any toads or other amphibians in your garden pond or out on a walk?  If so we'd love to hear from you.  You can fill in our quick and easy record submission form. It doesn't even matter if you are not entirely sure when you saw the animal or even exactly what species it was. The more information we can collect the better.
• Become one of KRAG's Getting Toads Out of a Hole surveyors. KRAG regularly run training courses for our volunteer recorders  For more details contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Amphibians are predominantly nocturnal so the best time to look for animals is after darkness falls.  Searches of ponds and their surrounds by torchlight can often reveal frogs, toads and newts.  However, you can still find evidence of amphibians and reptiles in ponds during the day  Frog spawn is easily visible during the day, usually in the shallower areas of the pond.  Toad spawn strings can be seen wrapped around vegetation and newt eggs are deposited individually wrapped in a leaf or other vegetation.  If you are lucky you might even see a grass snake hunting.

The time of year that you look is also important.  Frogs and toads are explosive breeders and tend to only stay in ponds for a short period of time.  Mid to late February through to the beginning of April are the best time to see adults of these species.  Newts can be found in ponds for a longer period of the spring.  Great crested newts are often seen in water in mild Januarys and can linger in the water until late May and even early June.  However, the best time to look for newts is April and May.  Remember, you need a licence to survey specifically for great crested newts and if you inadvertently come across great crested newts and don't have a licence you should stop surveying the pond.

For more information about identifying animals have a look at our amphibian species pages.

Submit Results

If you have seen any amphibians and would like to tell us about them then please complete this simple record submission form