Natterjack Toads will soon be emerging in the dunes. Picture taken under licence by Phil Smith

By John Dempsey

Sometimes it requires a leap of the imagination – when a cold easterly strafes the dunes it can be hard to believe that the balmier nights of spring and summer are not far off.

Apart from Hairy Bittercress and Danish Scurvy Grass, little is in bloom yet – but that will all change in the coming weeks.

Migrants including Wheatears and the earliest Swallows will arrive as the temperature rises.

And the Sefton coast’s protected amphibians and reptiles sense this, emerging from hibernation with a successful breeding cycle their goal.

Common Frogs and Toads are already active – don’t be taken in by the names, these species are afforded protection on our “Site of Special Scientific Interest” coastline just as much as the amphibian superstars, namely the Natterjack Toad and Great Crested Newt.

Hopefully it won’t be long until pools that at first glance appear cold and unwelcoming will be reverberating to the song of the Natterjack Toad.

Cold winds that make the shallow waters shiver in early March ease and the dunes are reclaimed by the Natterjack.

Hearing these remarkable beasts in full song is one of the special experiences on the Sefton Coast, as smaller males compete to attract a mate in the dead of night.

Those who have been fortunate enough to hear it will fully understand why this rare species is known locally as the “Birkdale Nightingale” or “Bootle Organ”.

The latter is a poignant reminder of the days long ago when the dune system stretched south as far as Kirkdale.

Now Natterjacks have a toehold south of the Alt at Hightown, but the main body of the declining population lies between Formby and Birkdale.

For the last two years Covid-19 restrictions and a poor breeding season in 2021 meant Green Sefton has been unable to host guided walks out to hear the Natterjack Toads singing, but hopefully this year the toads will be back hitting all the right notes.

It is too early to know exactly how 2022 will develop as a breeding season of course (I’ve stopped trying to second guess the weather gods) - but Green Sefton will host two guided night walks on Saturday, April 9, and Friday, April 22.

The walks will set off from Ainsdale Discovery Centre (PR8 2QB) at 9pm prompt and booking is essential as spaces are strictly limited.

To book a place on a walk, please email me at john.dempsey@sefton.gov.uk

Participants will need warm, waterproof clothing, wellington boots and a torch.

Meanwhile it is imperative that dog walkers keep their pets out of any pools or flooded areas on the Sefton coast to avoid disturbance to these protected creatures.

While dogs love exploring pools they can cause devastation to the amphibians’ breeding cycle – spawn strings can be damaged or dragged out of pools unwittingly, and later in the season Natterjack tadpoles can be washed out of pools when dogs run in and out.

The heat-loving tadpoles congregate at the edges of pools where the temperature is highest, which makes them vulnerable to the mini-waves created by dogs jumping into the water.

Where dog owners have ignored this request, the Natterjack has already been lost.

As a community we are profoundly fortunate to have such threatened species living on our doorstep - please help us to protect them for future generations and keep dogs under control on the dunes.

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