Balcombe’s network of natural habitats and private gardens provides vital breeding and foraging habitat for native amphibians. To monitor and protect local populations across the parish, the Society focuses on two initiatives.

Toads on Roads

‘Toads on Roads’ is a scheme run by Froglife. Our team monitors migratory road routes across the parish to reduce roadside casualties and collect valuable population data.
Every spring, adult common toads – alongside other amphibian species- emigrate back to their breeding grounds from the overwintering habitat. Toads have strong philopatric instincts, meaning they follow the exact migratory routes every year.
Surveys take place from late winter to mid-spring after dusk on mild, damp evenings. Migrating amphibians crossing roads being covered are safely collected and placed into buckets where they are identified, counted, and recorded. They are then carried across the road to the pondward verge. We record live toads, other amphibians, and road casualties. Recording road casualties is important because they inform our road deployments.

Private garden pond surveys

With the loss of agricultural field ponds, private gardens act as a haven for local breeding populations. With homeowner permission, our survey team carries out free, non-invasive garden pond surveys across Balcombe.

Survey methodologies

Daytime visits and spawn checks:
– Inspecting shallow margins for common frog spawn clumps and common toad spawn strings woven around submerged vegetation.
– Checking submerged broad-leaved pondweeds for individually folded leaves indicating native newt eggs.
Dusk torching surveys:
– Conducted after dusk using high-powered torches to scan clear open water margins when breeding newts and frogs are most active and visible.

Habitat Suitability Index (HSI)

A Habitat Suitability Index, or HSI, is carried out to assess the suitability of a waterbody for great crested newts. These surveys are quick surveys that inform us whether we can proceed with a torching survey. They record pond dimensions, vegetation cover, shade, and fish presence.
Please note that a great crested newt Habitat Suitability Index must be carried out before torching surveys. If an HSI indicates the pond and surrounding habitat is optimal for GCN, we cannot offer torching surveys without a license holder present.

Great crested newts

Great crested newts are protected by law under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, designating them as a European Protected Species (EPS), and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Surveying for great crested newts requires a Natural England-issued Survey Class License (CL08). Therefore, any surveys targeting great crested newts will be undertaken with a license holder. If a survey that doesn’t target GCN and they’re found, the survey will be stopped immediately to prevent unlawful disturbance.