Volunteer

Restarting a Toad Patrol

March 1, 2026 by Admin

Written by Andrew Smart, Head of Science & Research

At a site in Cornwall, Froglife’s Head of Science and Research, Andrew Smart, has been rescuing toads on and off for 35 years. This year at his nearby crossing, the toads started moving on the last day of January.

When we first moved back to Cornwall, I came across the toad pond and migration by chance one evening and I’ve been doing my best when I could since then. It’s been a family show for many years with four of us taking turns to collect toads and move them towards their breeding pond. For a while we had a lot of help from students at Cornwall College, Newquay, which was great. For various reasons the patrol ‘hit a bump’ and stopped for a few years. This year we’ve registered the patrol officially with Froglife and are welcoming people from the surrounding area who want to help out and learn about toads. Hopefully next year we’ll have enough interest to set up a rota and share the load!

It’s quite a challenge running a patrol where there aren’t many toads, we move around 500 to 600 toads a year but have quite high mortality (around 100 to 150 every year). The site isn’t a ‘crossing’ but two country lanes that run downhill towards the breeding pond, so the males sit along the lanes waiting for females who walk down towards the pond between the Cornish hedges. The nature of the migration means that a single car at the wrong time can kill 20 toads at once! Unfortunately, the lanes appear on ‘satnavs’ as a cut-through that might save maybe a minute on a journey.

Hopefully next year with more patrollers and some signs we can start to reduce the numbers of toads killed. It’s odd to have people coming again after a year of working at the site on my own- they are quite surprised when I talk to the toads and palmate newts!

When we first started moving toads the migration was mid-February but now it starts at the end of January /beginning of February so we have to be watching for a while in case they start even earlier due to the warming climate.

I hope that anyone who is interested can take a look at the Toads on Roads page on the Froglife website Find your nearest toad crossing and check to see if there are any toad crossings near them where a patrol is inactive or where there is no information. It’s a great thing to do to restart a patrol and really make a difference to the lives of our common toads.

Hampton Nature Reserve

July 1, 2024 by Admin

Written by Paul Arestides, Transforming Lives Trainee

As a charity, our aim is to manage our reserves for reptiles and amphibians, this has been very successful, even if I do say so myself! The fact we have the largest number of great crested newts in Europe (globally according to Reserve Warden, Clare and staff member Darren) along with, grass snakes, common lizards and smooth newts on our Hampton reserve is testament to that.

But as a trainee on the Transforming Lives project (funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund), I have also witnessed some amazing wildlife across all our reserves, especially at Hampton. As a keen birder I became very wobbly at the knees on our recent Froglife away day, not only did we have a hobby performing acrobatic flight across the reserve, but was also joined by two peregrines, yes two! It was a breathtaking moment to witness such majesty in the sky over the reserve.

Hampton is also home to many dragonflies, damselflies, moths, butterflies, insects and fauna. I’ve had the privilege of seeing burnet companion, small heath, dingy skipper, four spotted chaser, azure damselfly, green tiger beetle, orchids and many other fascinating wildlife. It’s been an incredible feeling to be a small part of helping to continue the amazing success of this truly unique nature reserve and look forward to seeing the changing landscape over the next few months.

Hampton Nature Reserve is a private site, but there are regular volunteer days where you can help us with site maintenance and species surveys. Contact our Reserve Warden at: clare.middleton@froglife.org for further information or click here.

Wildlife and Countryside Link launch ‘People and Nature’ mini manifesto

December 7, 2023 by Admin

Froglife would like to highlight the launch of the Wildlife and countryside Link (WCL) mini manifesto for People and Nature.

The recent announcement by Govt is a step in the right direction but the manifesto for People and Nature argues that if we are serious about making a difference for nature and for people’s ability to access the environment and improve their health and wellbeing the UK should have new legislation, an Access to Nature Bill that will:

Set a new legally-binding access to nature target for all people to have access to a high quality green or blue space within a 15 minute walk of home.
Extend public access rights to waterways, woodland, riversides, and grasslands.
Create a more equal and inclusive freedom to enjoy land and water for other user groups, such as cyclists, horse riders, cavers, swimmers, paddlers, and disabled people.
Remove the 2026 cut-off date for registering historic rights of way.
Require the Government to publish a clear strategy for improving access to nature.
Establish an Access to Nature Investment Strategy
Mandate all new development meet the Green Infrastructure Standards. Ensure every child has regular high-quality access to and engagement with nature within education, through their curriculum and by supporting teachers and schools to deliver outdoor learning across all education settings.

The Froglife Strategy aims to: transform lives; engaging people from all walks of life; our projects are inclusive and have good representation from people of all backgrounds; we particularly focus on people who are new to conservation and from areas of multiple deprivation and Progress them on their wildlife journey

WCL is a coalition of 82 wildlife and conservation and environmental organisations, with over 8million members, protecting over 750,000 hectares of land and 800 miles of coastline

WCL is coordinating the Nature2030 campaign to ensure the Government meets its announcement in September 2020 to protect 30% of our land for biodiversity and “halt the decline in species abundance [in England] by 2030 /… and.. increase species abundance by at least 10% by 2042, while ensuring that abundance is greater than in 2022”. (Read more here)

Time is short, the recent State of Nature report highlighted that 19% of UK species studies have declined on average by 19% since 1970 and nearly 1 in 6 species are threatened with extinction from great Britain. Nature 2030 is also supported by the ‘Nature Cant Wait’ campaign

Please get involved in conservation and make your voices count, support Froglife in any way you can:

Join a Froglife project as a volunteer
Become a corporate sponsor
Leave a legacy in your will
Make a donation
Become a Froglife Friend
Raise money for us

World Volunteer Day

November 28, 2023 by Admin

Written by Kaitlin Oliver, Transforming Lives Trainee

scottish volunteers Volunteers play a big part in the world of conservation. Without volunteers many nature reserves wouldn’t be where they are today. December 5^th is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the efforts of volunteers worldwide and to promote the value of volunteerism.

Volunteering is a fantastic way of connecting to the community and making a difference, especially in conservation. Not only are you helping nature and all its inhabitants, but volunteering can also benefit you personally in a multitude of ways. Being out in nature can significantly improve your mental health, as well as be a great source of exercise. Making friends and being social with others allows you to integrate yourself as an important member of the community and volunteering in conservation is a good entryway for getting a job in the sector.

There are lots of different ways you could give your time to help us in our mission to protect amphibians and reptiles! Froglife has multiple volunteering opportunities across the country with different projects needing help. We aim to make volunteering with us as fun and rewarding as possible, so that you get as much out of it as the wildlife you are helping.

We at Froglife express endless gratitude to their volunteers, share success stories, and highlight the diverse ways in which volunteers make a difference. Froglife is extremely proud of all their volunteers and the work that they’ve achieved.

Find more information about volunteering with us here.

Volunteer Recognition Day

March 27, 2023 by Admin

Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our operations at our nature reserves throughout the year. Whether it be running and assisting on surveys of reptiles, amphibians, birds and butterflies, or getting stuck into some habitat management, we could not operate the reserves without them.

Between August of last year and January of this year, they clocked up an impressive 953 hours of volunteering, which is 39.7 days! We have a very committed and amusing group at Hampton, who always make even the dullest days outside enjoyable and of course, we are incredibly grateful for their hard work.

What is extra special is that some volunteers will go the extra mile and we are able to facilitate some exploration of any specific interests they have to say thank you. For example, if a volunteer had a particular interest in moths, we can encourage them to learn more and help conduct butterfly and moth surveys alongside our usual tasks. This makes days out on the reserve even more enjoyable, as we are able to share our varied (and sometimes niche!) interests and make everyday a learning day, whether it be identifying ants or trying to work out what Lichen we are seeing on the trees!

Volunteer Recognition Day is taking place on the 20th April.

An Introduction to Froglife’s newest Trustee

January 27, 2022 by Admin

London Tails of Amphibian Discovery (T.O.A.D) project manager, Emily Millhouse, has a chat with Froglife’s newest trustee, Xavier Mahele, to hear more about his passion for amphibians and reptiles.

Q: Who is Xavier Mahele?

I am a 19 year old ecology student and I really like frogs!

Q: What is it about amphibians and reptiles that you like?

I love how enigmatic amphibians and reptiles can be. Turning over a log or looking into a pond or scanning sand dunes and healthland, you never know what you’re going to find. And I think putting on a head torch on a cool, moonlit night after heavy rain to look for amphibians hunting worms is one of the most exciting nature experiences there is!

Q: What is your favourite amphibian, and why?

I am an avid fan of globose frogs. I’m very fond of the little round guys. So my top ones have to be the shovel nose frogs ,Hemisus, from Africa, the Nasikabatrachus purple frogs from India or the South American frogs Synapturanus and Elachistocleis! But my absolute favourite has to be the mexican burrowing toad, Rhinophrynus dorsalis! Their purple and orange colours are so ornate and males calling in their breeding ponds is hilarious, the way their entire bodies inflate and move when they sing! They are fossorial and spend a lot of their lives underground eating termites and chilling out which is a lifestyle I try to emulate. They are also the most evolutionarily distinct amphibian species, diverging 190 million years ago and the last surviving member of their family Rhinophrynidae!

Q: Why did you decide to get involved with Froglife?

I decided to get involved with Froglife three years ago, for my work experience in year 11, after reading about Froglife on the internet and using Froglife’s ‘Just add water’ guide to build my first pond. I had a great time helping out the London Tails of Amphibian Discovery (T.O.A.D) team with events, school visits and many hours of newt catching! I’ve been coming back ever since to help with all things herpetology!

Q: What’s your earliest childhood memory relating to nature?

I was very into prehistoric life when I was small and I often remember exploring the natural history museum, admiring the specimens, or looking for them on the beaches on the south coast. I also watched a lot of wildlife programmes when I was little. I was a big fan of Steve Backshall’s Deadly 60!

Q: Did you have a favourite green space to see amphibians that you visited whilst growing up?

I spent many hours watching the newts and toads at my grandparents pond growing up. It was magical to see the shimmering shoals of toad tadpoles in the golden sunlight as the turquoise of a smooth newt floated past. It was exciting watching the zig-zagging hawker dragonflies and watching the little water slaters munch away at the detritus. And thanks to a heron a few years ago, I now know there are common frogs in that pond as well!

Q: As a young conservationist, where would you like to see the UK conservation sector be in 30 years time?

In 30 years time, I hope we’ve been able to restore and reconnect our degraded habitats, stem our further encroachment and allow everyone to have the opportunity to access nature rich areas.

Q: What advice would you give to another young person who wanted to get into UK conservation?

Don’t be afraid to reach out to people, everyone is very nice and who knows what doors it can open up for you.

Q: What one thing would you encourage people to do at home to help amphibians and/or reptiles?

If you have a garden or community greenspace you’re involved in, think about putting a pond in, they can bring so much joy from wriggling tadpoles to the splash of frogs diving in. Once established and planted up, they look incredible and provide essential habitat for amphibians to breed in and have some respite from the heat in summer. If you’re feeling inspired after that, you can always add long grass areas and log piles to complement it and provide additional spaces for amphibians to feed and hide. In our increasingly fragmented landscape, we all must do our part to restore some habitats. Froglife has a great booklet called ‘Just add water’ which you can get in pdf form online which is a really great resource.

Volunteer

Footer