The Curious Incident of the Toad in the Nighttime

All credit for the rip off title goes to Mark Haddon.
Last night we went looking for owls. We arrived at McCallum pond as the sun was setting. We played the calls of great horned owls and barn owls from my aunt's ipod. We got some responses from a barn owl and saw it fly a little bit. We walked a little around the pond and saw two barn owls perching in a palm tree. They were a little obscured by palm fronds, but we got some really good glimpses of them! There were bats fluttering over our heads and nighthawks swooping down to the pond to drink. We got really good light from the moon. It's getting close to full.
On our way back to the car, we saw a western toad! It was sitting stunned by our flashlights under a bush. It had gold eyes with horizontal slit pupils, milky green skin, and lumpy skin.
Most western toads also have light stripes down their backs, which I probably didn't see by the flashlight. They have pale bellies with dark blotches. The bumps on their backs are reddish with rings of black around them.
Western toads live in western North America. They love moisture, and live in ponds and springs, burrowing in hot, dry weather. They lay eggs in standing water, and eat mostly insects and water-dwelling invertebrates. Birds and mammals eat the toads.
It was really cool to see one.
On a random note, on the preserve and even near my aunt's house, there are lots of stars visible. It's so beautiful. Since there are so many houses, I was shocked at first by the amount. They're more spread out, and there are large open spaces, so I'm guessing that's why it's so different from the city sky.