Their "trill" is an accurate description of their sound. Don't be surprised if you find a few that appear to drown. It's a fact of their existence; they go into a sort of death grip and hold one another too long sometimes. My skimmer box is a popular place for the toads on colder nights and bright days. I checked and had about thirty in the box today. They make their way out at some time. After they lay their eggs you'll see their slimmy eggs lines, that's what I call 'em, strung through the water from side to side. In a month or so tadpoles emerge and grow bigger and bigger. Tadpoles will swim around for a few weeks it seems until one or two bright afternoons you'll see all these little toads popping around on the edges of the water garden. They just seem to make their way out -- I have a rock edge on most of my garden. Most will not be seen again. Every so often I'll turn over a rock or open the skimmer's cover in the summer and see a young toad. They grow pretty fast through our long summers here in Kansas. They're obviously feasting on insects that are abundant -- a good thing for any garden.

I guess that is the answer. I have an old, small window screen that drops right into the rocks around my skimmer. Simple answer to a not too informed question. I guess I worried about displacing the toad, frustrating it with loss of preferred home in the skimmer, and finally having it move away. Seems such a creature of habit and I know nothing of behavior. Thanks for the guidance.

He looks like a patriotic little guy. Just in time to celebrate Memorial Day!

Tom, the eastern spadefoot toad is not the same as the "regular" ol' toad, which is the Southern toad. Their calls are different, too. This link is great for seeing and listening to the calls. You can check them both out here. Marcia Here is a link that might be useful: Eastern Spadefoot Toad