In December 2018 Froglife restored an existing pond and created a new pond. One newly created pond was dug at the bottom of a valley, close to the River Cray. This was an ideal location since the water from the surrounding drainage catchment will naturally drain into the pond, maintaining its water levels. The pond was located in an open grassy area, close to dense trees and shrubs, which will provide valuable terrestrial habitat for common toads. No artificial pond liner was required due to the nature of the underlying geology (clay) and position in the drainage catchment area. To the west of the pond was a drainage ditch, which will contain water when the pond is at full capacity. The finished pond has smooth edges and the spoil used to cover surrounding vegetation to create hibernacula.
The pond which required restoration is located close to the entrance to Foots Cray Meadow, bordered on one site by a road. Prior to development works, the pond was in a poor state, heavily overgrown and in need of management. There was little or no water present, it was choked with reeds and shaded from encroaching trees and shrubs. The following works were undertaken:
- The vegetation surrounding the pond had been cut back and logs stacked into neat habitat piles.
- Overhanging tree branches had been removed allowing significantly more light to reach the pond.
- The pond had been dredged by mechanical digger, removing excess reeds and other vegetation.
- Resulting spoil had been placed at the pond edges, covering piles of brash to create hibernacula, which were suitable for a range of species, especially common toad.
- The contractor had sourced clay from around the pond edges to line the pond, enhancing it’s capacity to hold water.
- The contractor had uncovered a drain leading from the road and cleaned the surrounding area.
Any debris e.g. litter, wood, which had been placed into the pond had been removed and buried under soil at the pond edges.
Froglife has also run several training sessions for the local friends group on pond planting, maintenance and surveying for amphibians.
2021 Updates
Toad Pond at Foots Cray Meadows is now full of wildlife. Of all the ponds surveyed in the Spring 2021 period, Toad Pond had the highest invertebrate diversity. This included several species of dragonfly nymph, damselflies, phantom midge larvae and cased caddis flies. In summer of 2021, an adult pond dipping session then found hundreds of smooth newt larvae which had recently hatched!