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RAUK - Archived Forum - Unusual Toad behaviour

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Unusual Toad behaviour:

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GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


View other posts by GemmaJF
Posted: 02 Jun 2003

 

 

How Kielder is doing its bit for toad safety

May 22 2003

By The Journal

 

Eccentric toads are baffling conservationists in Northumberland.

A trap on Kielder Burn is designed to catch young salmon, or smolts.

The salmons' instinct is to migrate to the sea but the smolts are unable to negotiate the Kielder reservoir dam. The trap is emptied daily and the fish transferred by van to the nearby River North Tyne downstream of the reservoir, where they can continue their journey.

But Environment Agency staff have been finding hundreds of toads in the trap. They contacted the charity Froglife, whose expert John Baker said that toads spawned in stillwater which they usually reached by migrating across land.

He said: "The toads are apparently not spawning in the trap and may be using the moving water of the burn to migrate, like fish, to try to find stillwater. We have never heard of toads doing that before. I have not heard of them moving along a stream itself."

Agency hatchery manager Peter Gray said: "The trap serves a valuable function in helping put salmon back into our rivers.

"But what has amazed us has been the number of toads finding their way into the trap. It is not in a toad's nature.

"Because we empty the trap every day, none of the toads have come to any harm. Our unusual find has the benefit of providing valuable data to conservationists who are trying to piece together information on the behaviour of toads."

 

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/thejournal/thejournal/page.cfm?objectid=12983534&method=full&siteid=50081

 


Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
Caleb
Forum Coordinator
Joined: 17 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 448


View other posts by Caleb
Posted: 03 Jun 2003

On a vaguely related note... I saw quite a few toad tadpoles in the river Wear, south of Durham, last weekend- the river's probably 10-15m wide at this point.

I don't know whether they spawned here, or if they spawned in a smaller stream and were washed in- maybe a visit at spawning time is in order!


Alan Hyde
Senior Member
Joined: 17 Apr 2003
No. of posts: 1416


View other posts by Alan Hyde
Posted: 05 Jun 2003

Just curious , how do you tell the difference between a frog tadpole , and a toad tadpole? I know you can tell the difference when it's spawn as toads lay in strings , but not when they are tads

Alan


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GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


View other posts by GemmaJF
Posted: 05 Jun 2003

Hi Alan, both start off pitch black as you're probably aware.

Common Frog tadpoles then become more brown with golden speckles in good light after only a week or so, Common toad remain pitch black.

They are also different in habit. Common Frog tadpoles are "lurkers and loaners" often to be found on the bottom feeding and popping up for air, or in very small groups feeding on a single item, Common Toad taddies often form large groups or shoals and swim about at the surface, oblivious to predators on account of their foul taste, though I've never tried one .

There are more subtle differences that are reconisable in their anatomy, but the above is usually enough to distinguish them.


Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
Alan Hyde
Senior Member
Joined: 17 Apr 2003
No. of posts: 1416


View other posts by Alan Hyde
Posted: 05 Jun 2003

Hi Gemma ,

Thanks for that info. I grew up in Shepperton Middx right next to all the gravel pits. We only found toadspawn once , though the young were always about year after year, so i've never done much toadie tad' observation.

Thanks,

Alan


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GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


View other posts by GemmaJF
Posted: 05 Jun 2003

Hi Alan,

I'll be at a good toad pond in Essex on Sunday, I'll see if I can get some pictures of them shoaling, it's amazing when you see it, hundreds of them moving around in co-ordinated swirls.


Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
j gaughan
Senior Member
Joined: 04 May 2003
No. of posts: 57


View other posts by j gaughan
Posted: 06 Jun 2003
your right gemma                                                                                                     


        i saw this once, some years ago, in a large pond at kidbrook NR in south-east london   _really impressive                                   


                                                                                                       john
Alan Hyde
Senior Member
Joined: 17 Apr 2003
No. of posts: 1416


View other posts by Alan Hyde
Posted: 06 Jun 2003

Excellent, Good luck on Sunday , I'd love to see a pic'.

Thanks,

Alan


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