Thursday 27th March
Each year at early spring, the Gibside estate sees a common toad migration en masse. It is quite the spectacle. Thousands migrate from their terrestrial hideouts back to the pond they spawned in to breed and carry on the cycle of this charismatic amphibian. Roads and paths are covered and require key intervention to prevent harm. Often you will see the ambushing males clinging on to a very tired, larger looking female on the approach to the water course. She will be fought over many times and you can’t help but feel sorry for the incessant attention she warrants. There is no romance here!
But, with a bit of luck it won’t be long before the surrounding vegetation is teeming with tiny, perfectly formed toadlets.