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It is Friday evening at 7:30, but rather than heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've taken a train to a market town in the countryside to meet up with volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people sacrifice their nights to safeguard the local toad population.

A Worrying Drop in Population

The common toad is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest research led by an amphibian and reptile charity revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Seeing a species that has been a stalwart of the UK landscape in decrease is described as "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "should be able to live successfully in the majority of habitats in the UK," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

The UK toad population has almost halved since 1985

The Threat from Traffic

Though the research didn't cover the reasons for the decline, cars is a major factor. Estimates suggest that 20 tons of toads are crushed on British roads every year – in other words, several hundred thousand. Unlike frogs, which might be happy to mate "if you left out a small container," toads favor large ponds. Their ability to remain away from water for longer than frogs means they can journey farther to reach them – sometimes long distances. They tend to follow their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for adult toads to go back to their natal pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Appropriately enough, the initial amphibians begin their quest for a partner around Valentine's day, but others travel as far as April, waiting until it gets night and travelling through the night. During that time, toads begin migrating from wherever they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the area and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a boy, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and have an orgy." If their route happens to a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that mating period would be lost – stopping a new generation of toads from being produced.

Toad Patrols Throughout the UK

Seeing many of dead toads on local roads "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the creation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a national initiative. These teams pick up toads and transport them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the quantity of toads they encounter and advocating for other safety solutions, such as road closures and underground wildlife tunnels.

Patrols tend to operate during the migration season, when toad crossings are more regular. However, this means they can miss groups of toadlets, which, having existed as eggs and then juveniles, leave their water habitats over an irregular timetable in late summer. Because of their size – just one or two centimetres wide – "they are destroyed by car traffic." And as being run over "essentially crushes them," it's harder to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are lost, their carcasses can be tallied.

Year-Round Work

Unlike most patrols, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of functioning, go out throughout the year – not every night, but whenever conditions are damp, or if a member has posted about a toad sighting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – winter dormancy has begun and it's been a arid period – but several of the helpers gamely agree to patrol their route with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, that pair will find one," says the patrol manager, indicating her 14-year-old son and the experienced member. We've been out for 120 minutes without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a barbed wire fence to check under some logs.

Community Involvement

The family duo became part of the group a while back. The teenager loves all things nature-related and has an ambition to become a conservationist, so his mother started to search for things they could do together to help local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner tells me – so when the team was seeking a fresh coordinator recently, she volunteered for the role.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A clip he made, imploring the municipal authority to block a street through a protected area during breeding time, swung the decision the team's way. After a year of lobbying, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to April. The majority of motorists respected and avoided the road.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

Several vehicles go past when I'm out on duty and we find some victims as a result – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We see one live amphibian as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a daddy longlegs, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the team's hardest attempts to let me see a toad, the local population has obviously settled down for the colder months. It appears that I wouldn't have had any better success elsewhere in the country – all the rescue teams I reach out to explain that it's very difficult at this season.

This team anticipates assisting around ten thousand mature toads over the street

A message I get from another volunteer, who has kindly made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad group in the UK, arrives in my inbox with the title: "None found." However, in February and March, he informs me, the group plans to assist around ten thousand mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these groups actually make? "The reality that people are doing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," notes an expert. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while rescue teams are able to reduce the drop, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since traffic is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The global warming has resulted in extended spells of dry weather, which create the poor environment for some of the animals that toads consume, such as invertebrates, while higher water temperatures have led to an increase of blue-green algae, which can be harmful to toads. Warmer cold seasons also lead toads to wake up from their dormancy more frequently, interfering with the resource preservation vital to their life cycle. Loss of environment – especially the disappearance of big water bodies – is another menace.

Experts are "often concerned about putting too much of a utilitarian spin on biodiversity," however "There is a big value in just having these animals around." But toads do have an significant part in the ecosystem, eating pretty much any small creatures or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn feeding a number of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Improving conditions for toads – ie building water habitats, conserving woodland and constructing amphibian passages – "benefits for a whole bunch of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

An additional motive to try to keep toads around is their "important cultural value," notes an expert. Myths and folklore around toads date back {centuries|hundred