I Found the Toads!

Hi everybody.

How are you doing?

I went to the park this morning, and I almost turned back. It was so windy at times that walking was unpleasant. But I kept going and was greatly rewarded when I got to the little pond where I saw the pickerel frog the other day. Because today, the toads were there! 

Here are a couple of videos. The sound you hear in the first one is the call of the American toad. The two toads in the video have found each other! The one calling in the background is looking for a mate. There were only a few out there calling today but if you're lucky, you might happen to pass a pond where hundreds are calling at once. It's a pretty cool thing to hear. 

In the second video, we have a swimmer. I am not sure, but I think it's probably a male American toad. It could be a frog, but it looks warty to me. The loud bird you hear about halfway through is an eastern meadowlark. They are cool yellow and black and white birds. I wish could have gotten a photo of him. You'll just have to settle for the toads today.

A few pictures from my walk:

The pond where it happens.

Toads!

Egg strings.

Future toads.

Hello!

Catalpa tree.

Some kind of cherry tree (I think) in bloom.

Trees are budding and grass is getting greener.

Mockingbird.

It was comforting to see all the frogs and toads this week out there, just doing what they always do as if everything is normal. The rest of us are going to have to be brave. But there are millions of us, and courage is contagious. 

In the meantime, chores await. Daph is coming home!

One last video. IYKYK.

Onward.