Community Articles
General News · 13th April 2021
FOCI - Helen
Friends of Cortes Island is on the lookout the Western Toad! We are asking the community report any sightings to us.
Western Toads were once locally abundant on Cortes, but they haven’t been seen on the island since 2016 - the last known sighting was at Squirrel Cove.
Western toads have a warty skin and a pale stripe down their backs. This time of year they are coming out of hibernation and migrating to local ponds, lakes and wetlands to breed, so it is a good time to see them. They also lay their small black eggs in long strings of jelly, rather than clumps like frogs, which is another good way of telling if they are around.
So you see a toad or toad spawn please let us know where and when, a photo would be bonus! If you remember seeing them in the past, we would love to hear your toad stories too. We look forward to hearing from you! Please email us at friendsofcortesgmail.com
Western Toads are a species at risk, and have been suffering declines in BC due to habitat loss, disease and invasive species. You can find out more about them by visiting the Species at Risk section on our WEBSITE.
You can also find out more about the history of Western Toads on Cortes through this great blog by Christian Gronau on the museum website:
https://cortesmuseum.com/the-northwestern-toad/
Western Toads were once locally abundant on Cortes, but they haven’t been seen on the island since 2016 - the last known sighting was at Squirrel Cove.
Western toads have a warty skin and a pale stripe down their backs. This time of year they are coming out of hibernation and migrating to local ponds, lakes and wetlands to breed, so it is a good time to see them. They also lay their small black eggs in long strings of jelly, rather than clumps like frogs, which is another good way of telling if they are around.
So you see a toad or toad spawn please let us know where and when, a photo would be bonus! If you remember seeing them in the past, we would love to hear your toad stories too. We look forward to hearing from you! Please email us at friendsofcortesgmail.com
Western Toads are a species at risk, and have been suffering declines in BC due to habitat loss, disease and invasive species. You can find out more about them by visiting the Species at Risk section on our WEBSITE.
You can also find out more about the history of Western Toads on Cortes through this great blog by Christian Gronau on the museum website:
https://cortesmuseum.com/the-northwestern-toad/