Toad surveys in Nidderdale find new record for ponds

Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is known for its open, clean spaces and unpolluted waters that are home to high numbers of freshwater species.

Now surveys by an army of trained volunteers have uncovered 17 new pond sites not known to have been home to the common toad, which is deemed “at risk”.

More than 60 volunteers have been recording their numbers, surveying 118 countryside ponds across 58 sites to count toads and tadpoles and test water quality.

The surveys, organised by Freshwater Habitats Trust and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, were funded by Yorkshire Water under Saving Nidderdale’s Priority Ponds.

Project officer Kate Wright said they were “over the moon” with volunteers ’ efforts, which would go towards furthering understanding and protecting the species.

She said: “Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a stunning landscape, with many clean water ponds, which are rich in wildlife.

“These small water bodies are often overlooked but provide important habitats for an incredible range of plant and animal species.”

Despite its name, the common toad is in decline, with numbers falling by 68 per cent over thelast 30 years.