I found a toad; a very large toad. Well, actually it found me. I was enjoying a bonfire at my makeshift campsite in the backyard. Some movement beside my tent caught my eye. My first thought was that it was a mouse but upon investigating, it was a toad.

Boreal chorus frogs are plentiful in my yard. I've been living in this location for 15 years and have never seen a toad in the yard; never mind one this large.

When I experience something new, I tend to gather as much information as possible. After taking numerous photos and video, I went straight to the Alberta Environment website to the reptile and amphibian resources. 

I thought I found the type of toad that it was but to be sure I sent a photo to the contact person listed on the page. To my surprise, I was right in my guess. I questioned it because the website said that the species was on the watch list. It was a sensitive species as a decline in population was observed over the years.

The western toad is the largest of Alberta's toads and my location happens to be at the eastern edge of it's range. What a find!

In addition to the backyard camping, I had time to get a couple of hikes in to see if the baby swans have hatched but there is no sign of them yet. There are lots of goslings around though.

I came across 8 elk that were wandering through the woods at the Biodiversity trail. That is a sight that is not common. 

During the week I did a hike in the rain. It was refreshing and peaceful; listening to the rain drops fall on the new green leaves. The forest smells were wonderful. 

This weekend is a working weekend so time is limited for getting to the trails. It may be a bust for getting out over the next couple of days but my find last weekend will 'toad-ally' make up for it.