Registration is simple:

1. Visit our Registration Page
2. Fill in the registration form with your details
3. Choose your preferred patrol area
4. Accept the volunteer terms and conditions
5. Wait for approval from our coordinators (usually within 24 hours)
6. Once approved, log in and start reporting sightings!

No prior experience needed - we welcome volunteers of all ages and abilities.

We welcome volunteers aged 8 and above, with the following guidelines:

• Ages 8-15: Must be accompanied by an adult guardian at all times
• Ages 16-17: Can patrol with written parental consent and buddy system
• Ages 18+: Can patrol independently or in groups

Family patrols are encouraged - it's a great educational activity for children!

Basic Equipment Needed:

• High-visibility jacket or vest (essential for road safety)
• Torch or headlamp
• Mobile phone for reporting sightings
• Waterproof clothing (migrations happen in damp conditions)
• Bucket or container for transporting toads (optional)

Training: We provide online guides and recommend reviewing our Safety Tips and Patrol Guide before your first patrol.

Flexibility is key - contribute as much or as little time as you can:

• Casual Volunteers: Even one patrol during migration season helps
• Regular Volunteers: 1-2 patrols per week (30-60 minutes each)
• Patrol Leaders: 3+ patrols weekly plus coordination duties

Migration season runs roughly February-April, with peak activity in March. Outside this period, occasional monitoring helps track returning populations.

Season: February through April (peak in March)

Time of Day: Dusk to late evening (6pm-10pm typically)

Weather Conditions:

• Mild temperatures (8-15°C is ideal)
• Damp or rainy conditions
• Still air (toads avoid windy nights)
• After first warm days of spring

Our system now includes a Migration Conditions Assessment that automatically evaluates weather suitability!

Check our Toad Map for known crossing points and hotspots in Walton-on-the-Hill and surrounding areas.

Typical crossing locations:

• Roads between woodland and ponds
• Areas with previous year's sightings
• Routes near the Reigate Heath and Headley Heath areas
• Quiet residential roads leading to water sources

Coordinators assign patrol areas based on your location preferences during registration.

Buddy System Recommended: We strongly encourage patrolling in pairs or small groups for safety, especially:

• On busier roads
• In poorly lit areas
• During late evening hours
• For first-time volunteers

Solo patrols are permitted for experienced volunteers on quiet routes during early evening hours. Always inform someone of your patrol plans and expected return time.

Mobile Reporting (Recommended):

1. Log in to your account on your mobile phone
2. Go to Report a Sighting
3. Click "Use My Current Location" to auto-fill GPS coordinates
4. Click "Auto-Fill Weather" to capture current conditions
5. Select whether toad was found or rewilded
6. Enter number of toads and condition
7. Add optional photo and notes
8. Submit!

What3Words: Your location is also converted to a precise 3-word address automatically.

You can report as you go or batch-report after your patrol.

Check our detailed Species Identification Guide for full details. Quick differences:

Feature	Common Toad	Common Frog
Skin	Dry, warty	Smooth, moist
Movement	Walks/crawls	Hops
Legs	Shorter	Longer (powerful)
Color	Brown/olive/grey	Green/brown with spots
Eyes	Copper/gold	Prominent, yellow

Yes, it's safe to handle toads with proper precautions:

• Toads have parotoid glands behind their eyes that secrete mild toxins to deter predators
• This is mildly irritating if it contacts eyes or mouth
• Not harmful through normal skin contact
• Always wash your hands after handling toads
• Wet your hands before picking up toads (protects their skin)
• Handle gently and briefly
• Never touch your face while handling toads

The toxin is a defence mechanism and poses no threat with sensible handling.

Common toads have experienced a 68% decline in the UK since the 1980s. Main threats include:

• Road Traffic: Thousands killed during migration
• Habitat Loss: Destruction of ponds and breeding sites
• Habitat Fragmentation: Roads and development block migration routes
• Climate Change: Affects timing of emergence and breeding
• Disease: Ranavirus outbreaks in some populations
• Pollution: Pesticides and chemicals affect amphibians
• Loss of Prey: Decline in invertebrates reduces food sources

Toad patrols directly address the road mortality issue - our work saves lives!

For injured wildlife:

1. Assess the injury - if severely injured, euthanasia may be kindest
2. Minor injuries: Move toad to safe location (damp, sheltered spot)
3. Never try to treat injuries yourself
4. Contact wildlife rescue:

Always report injured toads in the system with status "injured" so we can track hotspots and request road safety improvements.

No, please don't relocate toads away from their migration routes.

Toads exhibit site fidelity - they return to the same breeding pond year after year, often the pond where they were born. Relocating them disrupts this behavior and can:

• Cause disorientation and stress
• Result in toads attempting to return to original pond (crossing more roads)
• Introduce disease to new populations
• Disrupt local breeding patterns

Instead: Move toads across roads in the direction they're already heading, to safe habitats near their intended pond.

Creating habitat: If you want toads in your garden, make it toad-friendly with log piles, damp areas, and leave pond colonization to occur naturally.

Your safety always comes first. See our full Safety Tips page.

For busy roads:

• Only patrol if you have appropriate training and experience
• Use buddy system (minimum 2 people)
• Wear high-vis clothing and use torches
• Never stand in the middle of the road
• Work during quieter traffic periods
• Consider requesting road closure for peak migration nights (contact coordinators)

If a road feels unsafe: Don't patrol it. Report the location to coordinators so we can explore traffic management options with local authorities.

Your safety is paramount:

• Never argue with drivers
• Step well back from the road
• Do not attempt to stop traffic by force
• If threatened, leave the area and call 999
• Report incidents to patrol coordinators
• Note vehicle details if safe to do so

Most drivers are supportive once they understand what you're doing. A friendly wave and explanation usually helps!

Dogs:

• Remain calm, don't run
• Stand still or back away slowly
• Don't make eye contact or sudden movements
• If owner is present, politely ask them to control their dog
• Report dangerous dogs to local authorities

Wildlife (foxes, badgers):

• Give them space - they're more scared of you
• Never approach or corner wild animals
• Use torch to make your presence known
• If animal seems aggressive or unwell, leave area and report

What3Words is automatically generated when you report a sighting:

1. Click on the map or use "Use My Current Location"
2. The system automatically converts your coordinates to a 3-word address
3. Appears as ///word.word.word
4. Each 3-word address identifies a precise 3m x 3m square

Benefits:

• Easier to communicate locations verbally
• More memorable than coordinates
• Extremely precise
• Works anywhere in the world

Example: ///index.home.raft is easier to share than "51.234567, -0.345678"

Our system integrates with OpenWeatherMap to provide real-time weather data:

1. Set your location on the map
2. Click the "Auto-Fill Weather from Location" button
3. System fetches current conditions for that exact location
4. Automatically fills: temperature, weather conditions, humidity, wind speed
5. Shows a Migration Suitability Assessment

Migration Assessment: Evaluates conditions based on:

• Temperature (8-15°C is ideal)
• Precipitation (toads prefer damp conditions)
• Humidity (higher is better)
• Time of day

Score of 80-100 = Excellent migration conditions!

Limited offline functionality:

Works offline:

• GPS location detection on your phone
• Map tiles if previously viewed (cached)
• Taking photos

Requires internet:

• Submitting sightings
• What3Words conversion
• Weather auto-fill
• Viewing heatmap data

Best practice: Pre-load the map of your patrol area before heading out. You can save sighting details in your phone's notes and submit later when back online.

Layer Control: Look for the layer icon (⊞) in the top-right corner of the map.

Available views:

• Street Map: Standard OpenStreetMap - shows roads, paths, labels
• Satellite: High-resolution aerial imagery - great for seeing ponds, woodland
• Terrain: Shows elevation and landscape features - useful for understanding routes
• Hybrid: Satellite imagery with road/label overlay - best of both worlds

Weather Overlays: Also toggle-able from layer control:

• Temperature zones
• Precipitation
• Cloud cover
• Wind patterns

Troubleshooting GPS issues:

1. Enable Location Services:
   • Check your phone settings
   • Allow browser/app to access location
   • Set to "High Accuracy" mode
2. Improve Signal:
   • Move away from buildings/trees
   • Wait a few moments for GPS to lock
   • Clear night sky gives best signal
3. Manual Placement:
   • If GPS is unreliable, click directly on the map
   • Use landmarks to pinpoint location
   • Satellite view helps identify exact spots

Accuracy indicator: When using "Use My Current Location", the system shows GPS accuracy (±X meters). If accuracy is poor (>20m), consider manual placement.

Your Dashboard shows:

• Your contact information
• Phone number for WhatsApp group
• Patrol leader contact details
• Member since date

Patrol Leaders and Coordinators have access to volunteer management and statistics upload.