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What temperature gets toad activity?

Printed From: Reptiles and Amphibians of the UK
Category: Herpetofauna Native to the UK
Forum Name: Common Toad
Forum Description: Forum for all issues concerning Bufo bufo
URL: http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3506
Printed Date: 29 Mar 2024 at 4:00pm
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Topic: What temperature gets toad activity?
Posted By: Guests
Subject: What temperature gets toad activity?
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2011 at 11:05am

What temperature does it need to be at dusk for toads to migrate? I should have made a note of this last year cos I had a thermometer in my garden back then. ....But I didnÆt. Cos itÆs useful to know ainÆt it cos now itÆs coming up to toading time and I canÆt decide when to go out or not. By my records I ainÆt due out for another couple of weeks but today is supposed to be warm so tonight might be warm, they could come out but IÆll probably be sat at home watching telly and eating thinking they wonÆt come out. In frogging weeks I usually go outside and wait in my yard for it to go dark, (if I go too soon I miss catching the first lot crossing the road and walk straight past them whilst theyÆre hiding, leave it too late and theyÆre already squashed û gotta time it just right ) and whilst IÆm waiting I can sorta tell if itÆs gonna be a busy night or waste of time going out cos if my hands feel cold, the toads are cold and will stay hidden, but if IÆm quite warm and it ainÆt windy then theyÆre gonna be out, but a more useful way to tell whatÆs gonna happen is to just look at the thermometer at dusk I guess. Has anyone else already worked out what temp it is for frogs and toads to be on the move and what temps wonÆt see them out?




Replies:
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 29 Mar 2011 at 10:11am

Well IÆll answer my own question seeing as nobody else bothered to!!! .... This toading season IÆve been keeping a dusk temperature tally and to me they seem to come out at 10 degrees, sometimes at 9 degrees and they came out once at 8 degrees though usually they donÆt seem to want to come out at 9 degrees. If itÆs wet tonight and also 9 degrees IÆll probably hit the streets just to see if the rain encourages them out, havenÆt had a wet night yet, always do every other year, I love struggling around with a bucket, torch and umbrella.

Think the toads have had a bad year this year. I was out all last week for about 2 and a half each night and they were getting mowed down heaps, doubt many actually made it to the other side of the road near me cos there was just too much traffic. If theyÆd have come out this week itÆd have been better cos the clocks have now changed and theyÆd be less traffic although the funny thing last week was that there was knack all difference between 6.45pm and 8.30pm traffic. I was getting really pissed off by the end of the week cos it was a losing battle trying to save the toads, there were just too many cars and all were whizzing past real fast, far too fast to spot toads even if they wanted to. I remember the days when I used to spot a toad in the road up a head and run at it to beat a car getting it, fat all chance this frickinÆ year, everyoneÆs been driving like maniacs, havenÆt outrun any. Plus there were all the local problems of roadworks everywhere, not working street lights and bridge closure making my life harder and making more toads die. On Sunday and last night when I went out and they werenÆt out it was like a totally different neighbourhood, on Sunday I got passed by about 8 cars in the whole 45 mins I was out and there werenÆt much more cars on the road last night either, toads could have easily crossed and some would have made it to the other side. Bad luck for the toads ay? Should have waited a week, last week was as busy as hell, IÆm amazed I didnÆt get run over by the amount of cars using the streets as a race track.   Wonder why the cars have quit driving around? It was so busy last week IÆm telling ya.



Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 29 Mar 2011 at 10:13am

Oh and I dunno about the temp for frogs but this year I must have caught about 5 frogs whilst toading at around 10 degrees at dusk. I tend to miss the frogs altogether and just spot the odd one on toad nights. Two of my frogs were out on my street at 4 degrees though.



Posted By: Liz Heard
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2011 at 5:22pm
hi sue,

im afraid i wouldnt know but youre obviously doing the best you can to help them.
in you, they have an important ally.



ben


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2011 at 11:40am

Damn right. I’ve been a good baby this year and done a right good job at toad protection and spent many hours on guard even when I have been battling with all sorts of things making mine and the toads lives hard. Toading season is now officially over, I’ve gone out umpteen times making sure it is and using any excuse to check such as going for a run at night and taking stuff up to my mum’s house which could have waited but thought it’d be good to go when it gets dark just to make sure no toads are out. All gone now though, ain’t been a squidge in a week or two. Got a year now to wait ‘til I can do it all over again.




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