Now, could the druid have caused a similar effect with another spell? Quite possibly, but the benefit of a Summoning spell is that you can bring out the creature that's right for that particular situation. My experience with summons at this point in time is they are not worth the high...
he'd could turn any fight into a living hell for everyone. Outdoors was even worse, because he'd usually be hiding in the form of a sparrow. The dude also photocopied every single druid spell, from every book, so his potential spell ...