Tuesday 23 February 2010

Blackcap identification and Common Toad rescue

I think this was the little bird who hesitated in the bare hedgerow to watch me watching him/her, as I stopped on the group walk. What a surprise because I've never seen one of these before. It had an almost white body with greyish brown wing feathers and a little feathery black cap which seemed to blow in the breeze, and a strong looking beak. But was it a Marsh tit or a Willow tit. I am not sure. I must learn to look more closely at colour of legs and beak!



I exercised a Common Toad rescue service as Toad was swimming in the water stop cock chamber. The water level (8 inches deep) is that of the water table. I don't know how long he (possible a she) had been there because I know the lid has been off the hole for some time! It's not somewhere one looks at everyday!! I rescued him or her because I like holding toads / frogs and it couldn't get out of the water chamber by itself, so I took it to a stone near a log pile where he rested for a while. When I returned about an hour later he was not there, so had obviously gained enough strength and breath to go to a safer place. He/she was a beautiful golden brown with such lovely bronzed eyes.


1 comment:

Susan said...

Your toad doesn't look like a Common to me. I think it is a Natterjack. Common Toads have bright coppery red eyes and no really obvious pattern on their body, Natterjacks have greeny gold eyes and a pattern like army camouflage.

Your bird could have been a Coal Tit. I've seen a few of the small grey bodied, black capped tits lately, but not sure which species (like you, I don't look closely enough at birds, or practice enough at identifying them).