Natterjack Toad. Picture: Phil Smith
By John Dempsey
We’re never totally happy.
For the three bears, fishermen, or gardeners, their porridge, wind speed or temperatures are rarely just right.
That’s the nature of things, and for those working on the Sefton coast the variable that never reaches perfection is rainfall.
In winters like 2020/21 we had way too much rainfall – slacks and pools managed for Natterjack Toads and other amphibians were consequently too deep by the time these rare creatures emerged from winter hibernation.
There was deep, cold water everywhere, with pool edges flooding out into nearby vegetation.
This meant water was too cool and vegetation at the edges was too dense for the toads to breed in – they like their pool edges warm, shallow and vegetation free.
It’s the first time I can remember this being a problem on the coast – thank you climate change.
This winter however is a completely different kettle of fish, or rather toads.
Rainfall has been relatively low so far, meaning some pools may be too shallow for the Natterjacks when they emerge.
The toads may happily breed of course, but shallower pools dry out quicker and tadpoles can be stranded as the rising temperatures and winds of spring and summer cause evaporation.
The water bodies shrink or disappear before the tadpoles can mature into toadlets and leave under their own steam.
This may result in another poor breeding season.
There is plenty of time for some heavy rainfall yet of course, but the window between the period of winter dormancy for hibernating Natterjacks and their emergence in spring is getting narrower as the year progresses.
Add to that our rising temperatures (again, thank you climate change) and the Natterjacks seem to be getting active earlier in the year.
It wasn’t so long ago that the last week of March was when these incredible creatures got busy, but in recent years the date when they start tuning up and singing across the dunes at night from Hightown to Birkdale has been getting earlier.
Time for a rain dance.
Warmer winters mean our other amphibians are active earlier too – Common Toads can be encountered from January onwards now as they find sheltered pools.
With a headstart on the warmth-loving Natterjacks, their larger tadpoles are often well established before the Natterjacks begin to spawn.
Natterjack tadpoles can feature prominently in the diet of the large Common Toad tadpoles.
And if it is mild don’t be surprised to find Common Frog, Smooth and even Great Crested Newt active on the dunes in the next week or two.
While they are vulnerable to frosty conditions (which often spoils their spawn or eggs), these three species can be active long before the first Swallow has even considered heading north.
It is vital therefore for dog walkers visiting the dunes to ensure that their pets do not enter any of the pools or flooded areas on the coast.
Although it might be great fun for our four-legged friends to have a dip, they disturb insect larvae and amphibians under the surface, and later in the season can even destroy valuable spawn by entering pools.
Like the waders that rest and feed on our shore, these pools and the life within them are protected by law.
Please keep out of these areas. This week’s images of protected species were all taken under licence.
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