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It is Friday night at half past seven, but instead of going out or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a town in the countryside to join volunteers from a toad patrol. These committed people sacrifice their nights to protect the native amphibian community.

An Alarming Drop in Population

The Bufo bufo is becoming increasingly uncommon. A latest study led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the UK toad population have dropped by half since the mid-1980s. Seeing a species that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is described as "worrying" by researchers. Toads "don't require very specific conditions" and "should be able to live successfully in most of habitats in the UK," meaning if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that things are not as they should be."

Since 1985, Britain's toad numbers have nearly been cut in half

The Danger from Roads

Though the research didn't examine the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Estimates indicate that 20 tons of toads are crushed on British roads every year – that is, several hundred thousand. In contrast to frogs, which might be content to mate "with just a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for longer than frogs means they can travel further to reach them – often hundreds of metres. They usually stick to their ancestral migration routes – it's typical for mature amphibians to go back to their birth pond to mate.

Migration Patterns

Appropriately enough, the first toads begin their quest for a partner around Valentine's day, but some move as late as April, waiting until it gets night and moving after sunset. During that time, toads start moving from where they have been overwintering "all pretty much at the same time."

One volunteer, who grew up in the area and has been trying to protect its toad population since he was a boy, explains that "They've got just one focus: to go and have an orgy." If their path happens to a road, they could all get run over, and that breeding season would never happen – preventing a next generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Throughout the UK

Seeing hundreds of dead toads on local roads "inherently strikes a chord with people," and has resulted in the formation of toad patrols throughout the UK – 274 groups are officially listed with a countrywide program. These teams collect toads and transport them across roads in containers, as well as recording the number of toads they encounter and advocating for other safety solutions, such as road closures and amphibian passages.

Volunteers tend to operate during the migration season, when toad crossings are frequent. However, this means they can miss numbers of young toads, which, having existed as spawn and then tadpoles, leave their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in the end of summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to get data on them. At least when mature amphibians are killed, their carcasses can be counted.

Year-Round Efforts

Unlike many groups, a specific volunteer group, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out year-round – not every night, but when conditions are damp, or if someone has posted about a amphibian spotting in their group chat. When I ask to join them on duty, they concede it is "not a toady night" – winter dormancy has started 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, those two will spot one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her teenage child and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a single toad sighting, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to check under some logs.

Family Participation

The family duo became part of the group a while back. The teenager loves all things nature-related and has an goal to become a environmentalist, so his mother started to look for activities they could do together to help local wildlife. Now she enjoys it as much as he does, the middle-aged small business owner tells me – so when the group was looking for a new manager recently, she decided to step up.

The teenager, too, has played an important role in the organization. A clip he created, imploring the local council to block a road through a nature reserve during breeding time, influenced the outcome the group's way. After a year of lobbying, the authority approved an "access-only" restriction between 5pm and 5am from late winter through to April. The majority of motorists duly avoided the route.

Other Wildlife and Difficulties

A few vehicles go past when I'm out on patrol and we find some casualties as a consequence – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We spot one living newt as well, and the youngster is particularly pleased to see a harvestman, which dances in his hands. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the native community has clearly gone dormant for the winter. It appears that I couldn't have found any better success elsewhere in the country – all the rescue teams I contact explain that it's near-impossible at this season.

They project rescuing nearly 10,000 grown amphibians during migration

A message I get from a different helper, who has kindly taken the trouble to look for toads in a famous site, thought to be the largest accurately monitored toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "No toads." However, in late winter, he tells me, the team plans to assist around 10,000 mature amphibians across the road.

Effectiveness and Challenges

What level of impact can these organizations truly achieve? "The fact that people are doing this regularly on cold, damp and unpleasant late nights is remarkable," notes an researcher. "That's something that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they can't stop it completely – partly since traffic is not the only threat.

Additional Threats

The global warming has meant longer periods of drought, which cause the poor environment for some of the creatures that toads eat, such as worms and slugs, while warmer ponds have caused an rise of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also lead toads to wake up from their hibernation more often, interfering with the energy conservation vital to their existence. Habitat destruction – particularly the loss of large ponds – is an additional threat.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on wildlife," however "It's important in just having these animals around." But toads do have an important role in the ecosystem, eating pretty much any invertebrates or tiny organisms they can swallow and in turn sustaining a number of predators, such as wildlife. Improving conditions for toads – ie creating more ponds, protecting forests and constructing toad tunnels – "benefits for a wide range of additional wildlife."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to work to preserve toads present is their "important cultural value," notes an specialist. Legends and tales around toads date back {centuries|hundred