Amphibians starting to breed.

On the toad front we had two on the road at Todmorden on Saturday, but none at the same site on Sunday, when the temperature dropped to about 7C.

Frogs: on the impromtu walk yesterday (3 turned up - see below) we saw  c.40 frogs having a great get together among  c.20 clumps of spawn at Cunnery Wood, near Shibden Park, and I now have 6 clumps in my tiny garden pond, where it appears about one per night, with no sign of the frogs!

We have a good team of volunteers at Boulderclough Dam, near Sowerby, but need people at Thornhill Beck Lane, Brighouse. If you can go just a few of the warmest nights (around 10C seems optimal - or warmer) that would save a lot of toads.

There are also sites at Todmorden where volunteers would be welcomed, plus one at Hebden Bridge, at Hebden Hey to be exact, where I'm not aware of anyone intending to go along.

Please try to count your toads if helping them across roads, and send me your records at the end of the season (in about 2 to 3 weeks depending on temperatures.) Count squashed ones as well please.

Steve 0771 500 5379

p.s. though we see many toads, we don't often see their strange strings of spawn, so different from that of frogs. I will endeavour to find some this year, and organise a visit for those toad patrol volunteers who are curious to see it. One year it was very prominent at Widdop Res, in the channel along the side, and also in the main reservoir itself.