Tales from the Gualala toad

Last night I mentioned we went up to the Gualala River to look for toads.  Eric grew up with toads in his backyard and I used to interact with toads on Cape Cod.  We don't see toads on Bodega Head, so every now and then we both miss finding and watching toads.

We hadn't looked for them along the Gualala River before, but I had heard that young toads have been reported emerging from the river in the fall.  So with yesterday's rain showers, we figured it was worth a shot and it would be new territory for us.

It took some patience and persistence, but eventually we found two toads.  The first was a small individual (~3 cm long) hiding under a rock.  Here's the view I showed last night and two others.  Note the variety of colors, including orange under the feet:

 

 

 

 

It sounds like I should be calling these California Toads (Anaxyrus borealis halophilus) now, a subspecies of Western Toad. But it can be hard to track the taxonomy, so let me know if you have different information.

 

Later, Eric encountered a larger toad partially buried in the rocks near the river.  It was hard to spot, but luckily it moved slightly, revealing itself as amphibian rather than rock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a few other fun observations from our time in northern Sonoma County yesterday, so stay tuned!

P.S.  Sounds like Gualala was one of the wettest places in the county yesterday with ~1.5" of rain.

Toadally thankful

  

We were hopeful that today's precipitation would bring us some luck in finding a toad...and it did!  I'll write more tomorrow, but here's a wonderful photo that Eric took of a juvenile Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) near the Gualala River on 18 September 2021.  So thankful for the rain!

Path of Toad-ality

Last night Will mentioned he had seen some gorgeous toads...so how could we resist?

After work, Eric and I took a short walk in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.  Sure enough, just after dusk, we started seeing toads along the path.

Below are a few of my favorite pictures.  These are Western Toads (Anaxyrus boreas, formerly Bufo boreas).  They ranged in size from about ~2-4" (~5-10 cm) long, shown here from largest to smallest:

 

 

 

 

This was the first time we've seen Western Toads in Sonoma County.  It was so nice to see them!  Thanks, Will, for letting us know about the wonderful toads.

Missing toads

When I moved to California from New England, there are some things I knew I would miss, and others that have surprised me.  For example, I didn't realize that some animals would be much harder to come by, like toads!

While in New England for a fall visit, we encountered this toad near Lake Warren in southern New Hampshire.

 

On Cape Cod, we would sometimes discover toads while walking through the woods.  And I have fond memories of tiny toadlets emerging from local ponds.  I miss hearing toads calling during warm nights, finding their strings of eggs attached to aquatic vegetation, and seeing their small black tadpoles in shallow water.

I think this is an American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus, formerly Bufo americanus).  It was well camouflaged against the fallen pine needles.  You might be able to tell that it was relatively small, ~3 cm (a little over 1 inch) long.

 

Note the large oval parotoid glands behind the eyes (see below).  They can release a poisonous milky white substance (bufotoxin) to deter predators.

 

In coastal California where freshwater ponds are less numerous, toads seem to be uncommon.  However, I vaguely recall that there might be a few historic records for Western Toads from either Bodega Head or nearby.  (I don't have access to my West Coast resources today, but will check that memory in the near future.)  Has anyone seen a toad on Bodega Head or in the Bodega Bay area?