Last winter, an ice jam caused a diversion of the Humber and continued the creation of a channel that will eventually form a new island in the wild area. The force of the Humber moving over land at first strips away the topsoil and then sweeps aside stones and larger rocks. Close to the peninsula, material has been carved out to such a depth that a hollow has formed below the water line and can therefore sustain aquatic life throughout the year.

The newly carved pond.

American Toads have exploited this new habitat and there are dozens of tadpoles happily swimming around in a fish-free environment.

American Toad tadpoles are the first generation to use this pond.

This pond is well situated as it is quite small, hard to see from the bike path and difficult to access. With luck, large numbers of toads will start exploiting the food supply that will be available when they grow legs and leave the pond.

An ideal habitat has been created.