13/12/2011 - KirMiTS: Western Leopard Toad breeding season 2011. new 13/12/2011.
The KirMiTS are the Kirstenhof-to-Muizenberg Toad Savers - a group of volunteers ranging from 5 to ‘much older (!)’ who make themselves available for the WLT breeding season to work as citizen scientists, measuring, noting gender and recording toads and to help toads on their hazardous journeys from their homes in peoples’ gardens to the breeding sites scattered throughout our suburbs.
This year proved significantly different to previous years - something the experts at SANBI think may be related to low and erratic winter rainfall. While we all geared up and went out on patrol from the 27 August (in line with our experience from previous years), our Zandvlei toads stayed home until nearly a month later with major movement being recorded from 23 September onwards.
The KirMiTS put in approximately 250 man hours of monitoring, linking up in teams and going out to patrol our demarcated zones night after night - even when there was nothing to be seen. There are about 30 people who took turns to patrol at least one night per week with most of those doing more and stalwarts like Jean Fillis of Kirstenhof doing up to 7 nights per week. Others are our eyes and ears – notifying us of calling in local ponds so that our evening teams could be specific in their monitoring activities.
Around Zandvlei, our Marina da Gama team rescued about 80 toads and we lost only 6 (of which we are aware). On the other side of the Vlei in Lakeside, we rescued about 50 toads with approximately 5 toads lost. These figures are still to be finalized and while we are all pleased that the toads losses were quite low - for us 1 toad killed by a car, is one toad too many.
We are VERY grateful to our KirMiTS team for giving up 7 weeks - sometimes in the rain and cold - to be part of this amazing urban phenomenon. We hope that there may be more people out there keen to make sure these important endangered animals - found only in this part of the world - continue to greet us with their beautiful calls every August!
Susan Wishart
22 September 2011.
09/12/2011 - Hi KirMiTS, Reports are coming in of Western Leopard Toadlet emergence in the Noordhoek area starting 2 weeks ago. Our toads bred a little later, so please be aware of our toadlets - watch the roads, check your drains and especially, swimming pools. Please let me know should you see anything.
Please alert neighbours and friends.
31/10/2011 - Western Leopard Toad - end of the year Party.
See the invite for those who participated.
20/08/2011 - Hi KirMiTS,
Well, we are still waiting for our toads to move - this is very late but we have experienced late moves in other areas before so we hold out hope! Last year we had about 650 toads in our areas
- this year we are battling to make 50!
It would be great if you could email / sms your stats to Jean, but please also complete your data sheets and
save them for me. I would like to ensure accurate stats for a study I
will to carry out.
You KirMiTS have been fantastic - diligently showing up night after night - toads or not.
08/08/2011 - Hi KirMiTS,
Well, our toads are being mysterious,
so far the move has not started and, although we had about 22 on Thursday, it was probably a feeding response to the rain rather than the breeding season starting.
Nonetheless - I appreciate you time - on Friday we put in 20 man hours because of all the friends who came along to help! Well done, team!!
Welcome to Pam, Alan and Megan - new on the roster this week.
02/08/2011 - Evanne Rothwell has the answer why the breeding season has not started yet.
photograph by Evanne Rothwell
They
are hibernating in Evanne Rothwells house. They have decided it is
better under the duvet
than going outside.
The
frogging fraternity are waiting in expectation for the breediing season
to start.
Problem - it has been a very dry July, with little rain.
photograph by Cassy Sheasby
Western Leopard Toadlets.
31/07/2011 - Dear KirMiTS Team, from Susan Wishart,
The Roster for week 2 has been sent out for the Marina, Muizenberg, Lakeside and Kirstenhof.
We have had no calling or activity to date (Sat 30 July) except for some calling reported at Eastlake in the Marina but we expect our toads to get going really soon.
We do need some more people to help in Lakeside and Muizenberg as well as standby teams for Kirstenhof for the all-important Oranje Road site. Please get back to me if you have not let me know your availability yet.
14/07/2011 - Dear
KirMiTS Team,
With the breeding season imminent, we will be having a pre-season get
together / info session to get us all up to speed.
Date: 22 July 2011 -
Time: 18h00-19h30 -
Venue: Capricorn Beach Community Hall, cnr
St George’s and Sanderling Roads, Muizenberg East.
(this is inside the Capricorn Beach complex - park in the road outside the gates at the corner of these two roads
and we will let you in the pedestrian gate)
RSVP: Susan Wishart or 083 441 4740
Bring: Notebook if you think you might need to take notes and some eats to share, if you can
It would be great if you could make the get together but if you cannot, briefing sessions will take place each evening during week 1 of the season.
07/07/2011 - Dear KirMiTS Team,
The Western Leopard Toad (WLT) breeding season is coming up soon and we will shortly be inviting you to a pre-season info session and get-together. We had an amazingly successful season last year thanks to excellent teamwork and commitment and the stats will be on display at the get-together (and are also available on the www.leopardtoad.co.za website). The KirMiTS group put in over 250 man hours and we lost only 4% of our toads seen (still 4% too many but reflecting on the positive work done).
New members are very welcome to join in, all hands helping can make a difference.
Susan Wishart Area Co-ordinator.
15/05/2011 - A WLT breeding migration Meeting on Wednesday 18th May, at 7pm at the Cape Point Vineyards - Tasting Rooms, Noordhoek.
See the link for all those interested.
photograph by Greg Morgan
Raucous Toad (Bufo rangeri).
14/02/2011 - Article from the Full Circle magazine - December 2010 issue. Well done to all involved.
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