Things I Find at Work Pt. 3 Nature Addition!

Today I have been Gardening and so we have nature making an appearance :D YAY! My favourite :D
My first Find was this chappy,

and would you believe it? another bloody Toad! 22 years its taken me to see an example of Bufo bufo and in the space of a month I find 2! And s/he's Miniature! Really laid back just chilled out on my hand whilst i took a picture:D AWESOME!

Next on my list is this Badman Magpie checking out his reflection in car windows...

he was making the most awsfull racket ever, and i managed to sneak a little closer

I find magpies get a bad press (my mum despises the things - especially the bald one in the garden, despite me trying to convince her its a monk), I on the other hand admire Corvid's(magpies, crows, ravens ect) despite the plural for crows being a 'murder of crows', I admire their intellect, and the amazing self awareness they (can) exhibit, despite the lack of cortical structures within the brain (these are linked with self awareness and Theory of mind in mammals). I would totally own a Corvid.

Now for some invert's (Yes)

Found these guys when i was digging up the flower beds, they are without a shadow of a doubt beetle larvae but i have no idea what species at all, my first thought was some sort of chafer beetle (think may bugs) but the colouring just isn't right (chafers have white bodies and orange heads) they look nice tho :D

The last think i found was that nature is stronger than metal after hitting a tree root...

 I was down a Tool... well thats it for today :D

The Curious Incident of the Toad and the Grow Bag

so im chilling on the sofa, posting stuff on facebook ect ect, when my brother comes flailing his arms and legs shouting 'there's a toad in the conservatory!!!!'
'heh- toad' i thought , i have never seen a real toad in the wild, they have always been misslabled frogs, so i sauntered out into the conservatory, and there it was, chilling in the tomato plants grow bags (my mum has a fetish for tomato plants and so from sept-nov we have infinite amounts of them to eat)

and here he is in all his glory , he puffed himself out a bit because that makes him terrifying :D

he is a fine specimin of the european toad (Bufo bufo) and has almost definately been eating the slugs in the conservatory ...(my mum shall be pleased) apparently, like hedgehogs they are not found in ireland as they never made the crossing before the land masses divided.

Thank you Simon the Toad, you have made my day :D