Field Journal: Loads of Toads
Vince Patton, Producer/Reporter
Monday, November 12, 2007 — "I'm sorry. I don't know how I missed them," said the urgent voice on the phone. "But they're here now and I think it's going to be big."
"They" were western toads.
(Click any photo to see more pictures)
The voice was biologist Jay Bowerman at the Sunriver Nature Center.
The problem was our small staff. Videographers are usually booked weeks in advance. It's difficult to drop everything and run to shoot video of something that may happen on one day and one day only.
For some reason, the toads didn't contact us in June to tell us they planned a mass migration in July. The largest migration in fact in 14 years.
Jay thought he'd notice telltale signs of loads of toads in May, allowing us to be better prepared if a large population were to emerge from the lake in mid-summer.
Instead, the toads massed by the thousands on the shore one day in a sneak attack.
Fortunately, a story died at the last minute. Videographer Nick Fisher and I rushed to Sunriver and arrived to find toads in the dozens but not hundreds. Frankly, the video was not too impressive.
Jay said what the toads really needed was rain. Moisture would keep them alive as they move out of the lake to learn to live on land.
Nice wish. But it had been hot and dry for weeks.
We crossed our fingers and planned to try shooting again the next day.
At 1 am I startled awake in my dark hotel room.
Drum drum drum drum drum.
The skies had opened. Rain fell by the bucket load.
Perfect. Even better, the rain stopped by sunrise.
We could not have been luckier.
And sure enough, the next morning we had toads by the bucket load. Literally.
Jay knew thousands of them were destined to die because their migration would take them directly across paths and roads. They'd be flattened by cars and bikes. But Jay also knew he had volunteers ready to run to their rescue and hand-carry them to safety.
Those kids were relentless. They stooped and scooped squirming toads for hours.
And in the end they probably saved several thousand little toad lives.
