Toad in a hole

What I was trying to photograph was a teeny tiny toad.

Les - a Wildlife Trust volunteer - found it when he was trying to pull out the recalcitrant roots of a hawthorn at the Woodford Halse site.

He had the toad on his shovel... or spade... I believe there may be a difference and I can't recall what it is... Ah, I see... shovels have pointed ends and spades have flat ends... unless you're talking about a deck of cards... the suit should be called shovels... Anyway, Les had the toad on his spade.

He wanted to carry it away from where we were working so it wouldn't get shoveled... spaded?... up.

I said, Oh! Let me see the teeny tiny toad! Oh, isn't he gorgeous! Oh look at his lovely eyes! Oh can I take a picture? Just let me get out my phone... take off my gloves... unlock the phone...

In that time the toad jumped off the spade into the grass.

Les, looking a little annoyed, put a warming branch over the location so that people wouldn't step on the toad.

Oh dear.