Toads and rooks - must be breeding time!

The last week saw two fauna-related sights which are no doubt very common, but which are perhaps unusual to witness.

This evening we were witness to an extraordinary fly-by of an enormous group of rooks.  It wasn't just our average parliament of rooks arguing away however, this was much, much larger, and appeared to be a large grounp attempting to displace our resident population from the hanging beech wood behind the manor.  By the time I managed to get my camera out, the largest of the waves had settled back down behind the trees, but I did manage to catch the gist with my rather crummy autofocus - see what you think.



I would love it if any ornithologist could tell us whether or not rooks are known for displacing other colonies or whether this is my complete mis-interpretation of what was going on.

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Just before the weekend, a cacophany was raised outside the back door.  Whatever could it be?, thought those sat in the kitchen happily enjoying a cup of tea.  Well, opening the door revealed the vocal identity:  the merry toad.  Or more accurately, many particularly hopeful toads.

It was raining hard, and the wet weather had encouraged them out from their damp mossy homes.  But in their search for a pond, they had inadvertently ended up next to the bins, an insalubrious place for a romantic rendez-vous, you might think.

I have always wondered what the collective noun should be for a group of these maligned creatures.  But it is now quite clear: in this case it was most definitely an "orgy" of toads.