I just made it to England at the weekend and went straight to a common toad , Bufo bufo, breeding pond. There were plenty of toads in amplexus there but unfortunately, because it was Easter and a very warm day there were lots of children there with buckets and jars of toads. I did my best to inform them that they were toads and not common frogs but it was an uphill struggle. There weren't huge numbers of toads in evidence like previous years but I think it may have been the start of the breeding season as I couldn't see any laid spawn in the water. I presume more toads will turn up in the next few days; especially if we get a shower of rain.They will all arrive and leave within about a week as they normally do. Except for the few pathetic males who hang on to dead females waiting for action- they hang around till all hope and urge is gone. I tried another local pond and found only one pair. Back to Ireland and its shortage of amphibia tonight.

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