Walking back from a meeting at Preston Road Community Centre this evening I spotted a toad on the pavement near the Old Saxton Arms – just there on the pavement in the rain.
Earlier I had seen a hedgehog crossing the road, and taking a long time doing it, sniffing for insects at it went. I don’t usually see live hedgehogs on the road.
I don’t usually see live hedgehogs on the road … or badgers for that matter …
A narrow escape for the folk of Wootton and St Helen Without:
http://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/hsabingdonnews/15445939.Villages_win_boundary_battle_to_get_1_200_home___39_garden_village__39__built_in_their_backyard/
When I first moved to South Abingdon some 30 years ago the place was teaming with hedgehogs. Gradually they all disappeared. We were then pleased when we saw one back in our garden some month ago. We have a hedge so we think it sleeps under this in the daytime. It is such a shame that they have to cross roads with the inevitable result that many get squashed.
How do you know it’s a toad and not just an ordinary frog?
Webbed Feet??. Interweb : Frogs usually have webbed hind feet, and some have webbed front feet. Most toads don’t have webbed feet . They move by a series of short hops on land.
Apparently…
“Hedgehogs are nocturnal and only come out at night. Generally any hedgehog out during the day is probably in trouble and should be taken to a Wildlife Rescue Centre.”
But don’t jump to conclusions with hedgehogs out in the late daytime. Many are still feeding their little hoglets and are desperate for a snack and a drink of water before nightfall. Give them a couple of days and see what happens. Whisking them away to a rescue centre could leave a nest of babies unfed. This is advice passed on from Tiggywinkles.