Between the pinewoods and the beach at Formby, there are shallow ponds in the low-lying dune slacks. They don't look like much: a bit of water, some reeds, scrubby vegetation. Most walkers pass them without a second glance. But those ponds are there for a reason, and the reason is one of Britain's most endangered amphibians.
The natterjack toad. Smaller than a common toad, with a distinctive yellow stripe down its back and a call that carries for over a mile on a still spring night.
The NT information boards explain the conservation work: easy to miss if you're not looking
What Makes Them So Rare
Natterjacks need very specific conditions: warm, shallow water for breeding, sandy soil for burrowing, and open ground with short vegetation. The dune slacks at Formby are one of the few places left in Britain where all of these come together naturally.
They've lost around 75% of their historic range in the UK. Development, drainage, and changing land use have wiped out most of their habitat over the last century. The Sefton Coast: including Formby: is now one of the most important sites in the country for their survival. The National Trust manages the conservation ponds specifically to support the breeding population here.
They're fully protected under UK law. You can't disturb them, their eggs, or their habitat.
The dune slacks in spring: the habitat comes alive in April and May
How to Find Them
You almost certainly won't see one in daylight. Natterjacks are nocturnal and spend most of the day buried in the sand. But from April through June, on warm evenings, the males call: and the call is extraordinary. It's been described as something between a cricket and a small chainsaw. Loud, carrying, unmistakeable once you know what it is. On a still night, you can hear them from well over half a mile away.
The breeding ponds are in the dune slack area between the pinewoods and the beach. Walk the path west from the main car park through the pines, and before you reach the beach you'll pass through the dune slack zone. You can hear the ponds before you see them in spring and early summer.
Please don't disturb the ponds
The conservation ponds and surrounding habitat are protected. Don't approach the water's edge, don't shine torches directly into the ponds, and keep dogs well away. The NT has done an enormous amount of work to establish this population: it's fragile.
The woodland floor ecology that surrounds the dune slack habitat
What the National Trust Does Here
The NT's management at Formby isn't just about the pinewoods and the squirrels. They actively manage the dune slack ponds: clearing vegetation, controlling water levels, and monitoring the breeding population. It's labour-intensive work and it's the reason the toads are still here.
The Sefton Coast is part of a wider conservation network for natterjacks across the north-west. Formby, Ainsdale, and the wider dune system form a connected habitat corridor that gives the population room to spread and recover.
Worth Knowing If You Visit
You don't need to make a special trip just for the toads. They're part of the wider Formby experience: walk the pinewoods to the beach in the evening between April and June, listen for the calling, look for the NT information boards near the dune slacks, and appreciate that this is genuinely rare.
If you go in daylight, the ponds are still worth a quiet look from the path. You might see spawn or tadpoles in the shallower areas in late April and May.
The woodland floor alongside the dune slacks: oak and pine together
Explore the Formby Pinewoods
Walking routes, wildlife, facilities and everything you need for a visit to the National Trust site.
