Toads chirp when they're scared. I know, because this evening at dusk I helped to carry about 100 of them across a road in buckets.
No, I'm not an Eco-Warrier. I just got talked into doing it by my mum, who has both Eco and Warrier tendencies at times (when she's not sat watching a BBC drama with her feet up on the poof).
Apparently, at this time of year, the green warty ones wake up en-masse from their forest hibernation and feel the watery call of the pond on the other side of a very busy road, where they must go and reproduce. There is a huge risk of them getting squished by cars mid-hop. So some keen toad-protectors put up a plastic barrier along the edge of the road and then recruit an army of toad well-wishers in wellies, brandishing torches and buckets, who are willing to scoop them up and carry them safely across to the other side.
As I stood there in the dark, amongst cowpats, shining my clever iphone 'flashlight' app over my nephew as he enthusiastically unloaded the chirping 'mating pairs' bucket near the pond, I must confess I felt a small pang of longing to be in a warm pub, without wellies on, drinking a large glass of red.
I've not yet heard pf such an activity , but it sounds wonderful and so helpful to the toads, not that they'd know necessarily of how fortunate they are not to wind up squished on the roads.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to the blogosphere! There have been times when I've felt like closing my blog - well, I did and changed to WordPress - but somehow carry on. But I don't blog nearly as much as I did since joining Facebook a year ago and recently Twitter. All a glorious waste of time really; but free. Good luck with Love and Enterprise!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful job you are doing to help these creatures across the road. This will help to keep the species alive. Well done.
ReplyDeleteMaggie X
Nuts in May
E - it's true, they will never thank me for it!
ReplyDeleteDD - nice to see you here! And thanks.
MM - It was a rather odd experience, but yes, worth doing I suppose!