Bagley Wood Toad Patrol

On early spring nights it’s dark, cold and wet in Bagley Wood, and you’d think it would be deserted. But as the rush-hour traffic whizzes through the back road that cuts down the west of the wood, our team of local volunteers is busy. In hi-viz jackets and surgical gloves, carrying flashlights and buckets, they patrol the verges to rescue toads, frogs and newts from carnage on the road.

Early spring is the breeding time for amphibians, and Bagley Wood contains an important population of toads, as well as Smooth and Great Crested newts and frogs. Toads live most of their lives in woodland, but migrate to their traditional breeding ponds in the spring: in this case, the ponds at Chandling’s School. To do this they must cross the old Abingdon Road, and then cross back again after breeding.

The Bagley Wood Toad Patrol has been rescuing toads for over 35 years, and is surely one of the oldest of the hundreds of UK toad patrols. We ferry toads and other amphibians safely across the road and monitor the numbers from year to year. We have over 50 volunteers, who give up their time in uncomfortable conditions to save toads from harm and to help conserve our local populations. We’re an informal group, but enthusiastic, and we patrol for hundreds of hours every spring and induct all new recruits in safe patrolling practice.

During this year's crossing, 636 amphibians have been rescued by 37 patrollers, including 482 toads, 73 Smooth newts and 8, rarer and impressive, Great Crested newts. We’re coming up to the half-way point of the season when, as well as latecomers to the party, we’ll begin to get toads returning to the wood, so we’re hoping by the end to achieve nearly double these ‘toadals’.

Our patrollers get a lot of satisfaction from saving wildlife, and from simply encountering these fascinating animals. But we are also concerned by the threat of ever-increasing traffic and residential development in the area. In the past week we’ve even had loads of extra vehicles diverted over the toad crossing due to roadworks on the A34! Toad numbers are falling across the UK, and our records show that this year’s numbers at the crossing are low. It would be nice if a more permanent solution could be found to secure the future of Bagley Wood’s amphibians.

Thank you, Sylfest, for your report and for all the work you and the rest of the toad patrol do on behalf of Bagley Wood's amphibians!