Pond at Robroyston Park Local Nature Reserve - another good place to see toads

In general toads tend to be very conservative in their choice of pond and consequently in some cases they can travel up to 3km from their hibernation areas to their preferred breeding pond.

One problem with longer distance pond migrations is the increased likelihood of encountering a road before reaching the pond. If you know of any roads where toads are being squashed then you should contact the Clyde Amphibian and Reptile Group - E-mail: david.garner@ls.glasgow.gov.uk

Toad spawn looks very different from frog spawn. It is laid in strings rather than clumps. This means that each developing tadpole is surrounded by water, which contains the oxygen they need for life. Once the spawn hatches the tadpoles begin to feed on algae in the pond. It's easy to tell the difference between toad tadpoles and frog tadpoles. Both are black when they first emerge from the egg but over time the frog tadpoles lighten to become brown in colour with tiny golden flecks. The toad tadpoles remain black until they metamorphose into baby toads, called toadlets, in May-June.

Please submit toad and other wildlife records to biological.records@csglasgow.org