Meet the Yorkshire volunteers who are on patrol to help toads cross the road

But facing a journey that can be fraught with peril, many are killed.

Now, with wildlife enthusiasts and buckets to help them on their way, thousands are aided to safety.

Neil Griffin is co-chairman of Wildlife Friendly Otley (WFO), which does regular patrols. Each year, he said, they learn more about the toads and how best to help them.

"People become really fond of the toads, despite them not being the most beautiful or clever of animals," he added. "They have bags of character, and everyone likes the disgruntled squeaks of the males.

"Then there’s the fascination with this mysterious and powerful instinct to head from all parts to the same ponds every spring.

"It’s a timeless event, and for centuries people have had a sense of living alongside the toads."

The migration begins each spring as temperatures tip above 5C. At dusk, when it rains, a sudden flurry of toads can be found on their way to the ponds where they were born.

In Menston, they make their way across Guiseley Drive to the High Royds balancing pond. Lifted carefully into buckets to cross the road, the tiny travellers stand a fighting chance.

Without help, volunteers say, the toads have a habit of falling down drains while they can find it nigh on impossible to climb up the steep kerbs.

The project first started when WFO noticed that hundreds of toads were being squashed by traffic each spring due to an increase in cars and building developments.

In Menston, volunteers were already helping toads cross the road and each season they rescue around 500 toads and have saved as many as 750 in the past.

In Otley, along East Busk Lane, 1,959 toads have been assisted. The volunteers see also smooth and palmate newts, as well as some common frogs.

The data is collected and passed to charity Froglife, as well as regional ecology groups.

Toad teams turn out across the season, from February to early April. Often, they see bats hunting and it's not unusual to see and hear tawny owls, barn owls, or the piping call of oystercatchers, said Mr Griffin.

They've learned much, he added, about the creatures. The collective nouns for amphibians include a knot of toads, an army of frogs and an armada of newts, he added.

And ecologist Cathy Burton, who organises the Menston patrol and is a trustee of WFO, said teams are trying their best to help make a difference.

“Toads have an innate loyalty to their breeding grounds, returning year after year despite the dangers of busy roads and high kerbs," she said.

"Although attempts have been made to lower kerbs and improve safety, the road remains a significant hurdle, highlighting the volunteers' vital role.”

To find out more or to volunteer, visit froglife.org or contact the Guiseley Drive toad crossing group on Facebook or [email protected].