Amphibian Crossing

Todays weather was simply dreadful. Wind not quite as strong as Tuesday but it was colder and it poured. Angie had a morning appointment in Ottobeuren and anyway would not have been out riding, so I walked the dogs.

Took the opportunity to Blip the villages Amphibian Crossing Road. Drivers are asked not to use the road at this time of year as the toads, frogs and newts are moving from their winter quarters in to the lakes. The roads provide an ideal waiting point for the males to greet a passing female during the darker hours.

On the right of the road, the village naturalist group set up hundreds of meters of 20cm high green netting (here the very start is actually white). During the evening, helpers go out and collect the animals in buckets and carry them across the road - around 5000 each year, one of the biggest crossing points in the county. At the start/end of the road there are signs asking people not to use the road especially at night and this is reinforced by a temporaary 50 km/h speed limit. Most people seem to take part, there is a not too inconvenient alternative close by and the road only carries very light traffic and farming vehicles.