We did not visit Richard’s Pond during the recent cold spell but today's sunny and warm weather tempted us out. The water was still fairly high, but not as high as on 30 December 2012. There was still a little floating ice. We saw a few dead fish but, fortunately, no dead amphibians.

The toad tunnel has a little earth at the bottom, accumulated during the past 14 years, but there is still plenty of room for and toads and other animals should they want to use it. It has never been cleaned out.

The ‘Bomb Crater’ balancing pond on the west side of Saxon Drive has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Compare the photo taken in 1994 (with colour distortion) when the pond was surrounded by a collapsing wooden fence with the later ones. By 1999 the concrete in- and out-flows had been constructed and the pond was surrounded by a strong metal fence. The banks had little tall vegetation and the pond was very sunny. Since then some trees have grown up, though those on the south side have been cut this winter. We cannot easily survey the pond now but in past years the frog spawn has been spectacular. [See Photo Gallery for accompanying pictures.]

We were recently looking at the Froglife map of known toad tunnels and realised that our local one in Biggleswade was not marked (http://www.froglife.org/toadsonroads/maps_tunnels.htm). This was probably our fault. We have now let them know the location of the tunnel.

Our Biggleswade tunnel (see Photo Gallery) is concrete and the larger of the two sizes available from ACO when it was installed in May 1999. The tunnel itself is still in good condition but the ACO fencing has deteriorated badly and is now almost useless.

We know toads used to use the tunnel – we have seen them in it (see Photo Gallery – this is genuine not posed!). We have not seen any in the tunnel during the last few years though. That could be because there have been less toads using the crossing because of the dry, cold spring weather. Also a new pond, Richard’s Pond, was dug in 2003 (see Photo Gallery). There is therefore less need for so many toads to cross the road to the original ‘bomb crater’ balancing pond.

The toad tunnel was installed by developers when they built a new road, now called Saxon Drive, leading to their housing etc. development. They only installed the fencing alongside their new road and refused to put anything beside the old road – so one side of the tunnel, at one end, never had any fencing. Since then the fencing has broken up. Some of this is because of vandalism but mostly is seems to have happened ‘naturally’ in the areas where people do not go (see Photo Gallery).

Badgers seem to have stopped using the tunnel since a new path was made near the pond and a wooden fence installed. There used to be a badger track from the tunnel to Richard’s Pond. We know there is a badger sett the other side of the road from Richard’s Pond. It is difficult for the badgers to get to the ‘bomb crater’ pond as it is surrounded by a strong metal fence with no gaps for a badger to squeeze through. They now seem to cross the road above ground, in a slightly different place, in order to get to Richard's Pond, possibly influenced by the droppping of the kerb for a cycle track on the sett side of the road.

Unfortunately the state of our toad fencing is not unusual. In an email to us Froglife say ‘we couldn’t identify a single toad tunnel that is in good condition and functioning in England’. If their idea of using camera traps is put into operation it will be very interesting to see the results.

We intend to monitor our tunnel more closely during the season this year to see if we can spot any toads in it.

INTRODUCTION TO AMPHIBIANS

BRAG member and Country Recorder for herps, Helen Muir-Howie, is running a workshop on amphibians on Sunday 17th March 2013 from 10am to 4pm at Priory Country Park, Bedford, Bedfordshire.

‘This workshop will cover the identification, life history and habitats of the native amphibians found in Bedfordshire. By the end of the session you will be able to confidently tell frogs from toads and identify the different species of newt. There will be an afternoon tour of nearby ponds to see the animals up close and to practice the techniques of amphibian surveying.’

For details see:
http://www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2012/11/09/wildlife-trust-training-workshop-introduction-amphibians-helen-muir-howie

AN INTRODUCTION TO REPTILES

Two BRAG members, Helen Muir-Howie, the Country Recorder for herps and Matt Andrews, are running a workshop on Saturday 27th April 2013, 10am to 4pm at Stockgrove Country Park and Rammamere Heath.

‘This workshop introduce participants to the identification of reptiles in the field, demonstrate where to look for them and how to encourage them to occupy favourable habitats. It is hoped that participants will come to appreciate and understand them rather than fear them’.

For more details see website: http://www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2012/11/09/wildlife-trust-training-workshop-introduction-reptiles-helen-muir-howie-and-matt-a

These are both Wildlife Trusts training workshops. For non-professional the cost is £35.00 per workshop unless you fall into one of the categories which qualifies you for a free place (Ecology Group Member, Reserve Warden, Watch Leader, Key Volunteer) – though it is to be hoped that none of those would regard reptiles with fear!

If you are interested in either course email: trainingworkshops@windlifebcn.org.

Do you live near Heath and Reach? Would you like to help with a toad patrol this spring? If so Esther Clarke would like you to contact her: Eclarke75@aol.com

She has registered the crossing, which is on Leighton Road in Heath and Reach, with Froglife and is hoping to organise a Toad (and Frog!) Crossing Patrol with some local volunteers this March. Some of you may know Esther from when she worked at Stockgrove, though she now works for the Beds Wildlife Trust on the Chilterns sites.