Common toad on Wolstonbury Hill last Friday 5th February 2015

 The Friends of Wolstonbury Hill were clearing scrub and an ash grove on the hill last week when a toad appeared.

Common Toads are amphibians, breeding in ponds during the spring and spending much of the rest of the year feeding on dry land in woodland, gardens, hedgerows and tussocky grassland. Common Toads breed in larger, deeper ponds than Common Frogs. They are famous for their mass migrations back to their breeding ponds on the first warm, damp evenings of the year, often around St. Valentine's Day.  Source: http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/common-toad

This one is a bit early due to the warm weather and our disturbance perhaps.  It was placed out of harms way under a newly created log pile.  Curious though that this one was half way up the South Downs.   Perhaps it just loves the views and the plants as we all do.  It has a bit of a walk to the nearest deep pond though.