Disturbing frogs and toads

Yesterday I was tramping around on the moors above Talla reservoir in the wild and beautiful Borders. Ostensibly to download groundwater level and temperature data from some loggers that we've got installed in monitoring boreholes there, but really just a good excuse to get out in the glorious March sunshine we've been having. Anyway, leaving one borehole I stumbled across a little bog pool, peaty dark and edged all round by reeds, in which a multitude of frogs were singing and swimming around, clearly getting in the mood for making some frog whoopee. When they caught sight of me looming over their pool, there was much confused splashing, some of them rushing for a hiding place, others stopping for a look at what I was up to, a couple carrying on with their romancing and warbling for a while until they finally noticed what was going on. Eventually they all disappeared, but I hung around for a while to see if they'd come out to play again. Not a ripple. Until one little head poked itself half out of the water to check if I'd gone, gazing stealthily up at me from behind some reeds, till I moved and it ducked back under.  

And while we're on the subject of Anurans (yep, I just looked it up!), this is the very sleepy toad I accidentally dug up in the herb bed at the allotment this afternoon. And which I embarrassingly screamed at when I saw it moving up out of the earth, much to the amusement of my plot neighbour Dave who was passing at the time. Rudely awoken from its winter sleep (the toad, not Dave), but at least not speared on the end of my fork. I dig up about one toad every spring, and thankfully they all survived the experience...