National Trust Formby talk about the Natterjack Toad breeding season

Natterjack toads are rare, the Formby coastline being one of the few areas in the UK where they can be found. Due to their presence, the area has gained several international conservation designations.

The National Trust team at Formby Nature Reserve are helping to create habitats for Natterjack Toads.

The National Trust team are working in partnership with Dynamic Dunescapes. Areas of overgrown vegetation are being removed and pools restored or even created.

Natterjack toad breeding update from the National Trust Formby -

This year’s natterjack toad breeding season started well with plenty of sunshine to warm the dune pools and just enough rain to keep them topped up but still shallow.

We were delighted to see lots of spawn strings and tadpoles – including some recorded in the new pools created as part of the Dynamic Dunescapes project.

Unfortunately, there have been no sightings of toadlets in the slacks since. There’s lots of potential reasons for this as they are quite particular and need just the right conditions but this year the main factors are likely to be;

Long periods of hot sunny weather drying the pools with very little rain to top them up.

More common toads using the dune pools. They breed earlier than natterjacks and their larger tadpoles feed on the newly hatched natterjack tadpoles.

Disturbance to the delicate tadpoles and toadlets as the dune pools become more popular for paddling on warm sunny days.

This winter, as part of the Dynamic Dunescapes project, the team will be carrying out further restoration work to the dune pools to help improve breeding conditions for next year.

Creating a network of slacks provides lots of different options and conditions for natterjacks to explore, giving them a greater chance of breeding success.