Today was the best nature spot of the year so far. Nature never fails to surprise me. Even today, new sightings of events or species are thrilling. I have been viewing nature and the environment for a long time. Since drawing my pension, I have more time to conduct my observations.

I have only ever seen single Common Toads in the wild in the past. Today, we took a chance walk around a New Forest pond. It was off the beaten track. We came across a mass of mating toads.

Several 1st :- mating toads, toad spawn, toads in a pond, toads calling, frog mating with a toads

Toad spawn is in long strips rather than clumps as seen with frog spawn.

A Common frog mating with a Toad! Records show this happens but they can not hybridize.

On the downside of this event was seeing probably a hundred toads. The same amount piled up dead. It seems a Heron stabbed and then fished them out, not fully consuming them.