FIRST FROGS

[oldherbaceous]

I'm starting to get rather concerned now, not a single sighting of frog or frog spawn in any of the ponds i visit round the village.

Maybe tomorrow, as i'm down the other end of the village.

[Jude]

Saw several heaps of frogs last week, mainly on the pathways around the area where we walk our dog. It used to be farmland but has now been turned into a wildlife reserve and includes a lot of marshy bits as well as woodland. Also it is adjacent to the Shropshire Union canal so it's perfect for frogs. I did wonder why they chose to mate right in the middle of the tracks and on the canal towpath, they were clearly oblivious to the danger of being stepped on or cycled over. Loads of spawn seen today.

[Monika]

OH, have you got ducks around where you would normally see your frogs? We find that in our Nature Reserve pond, the frogs will move in, mate, produce frog spawn which is then almost immediately eaten by mallards. also, as the mallards are constantly searching for food, the frogs are rather reluctant to show themselves, although they ARE there.

[Jude]

Yes, lots of ducks but very lots of frogs!

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Monika, i think this is certainly the case with the village pond. The folk that live round the pond have put a lot of ornamental duck on it in the last couple of years, and although they look quite nice, it has been devastating to the wildlife.
But it is the rest of the small ponds that are dotted round the village that i'm concerned about.

I'm going to ask someone tomorrow if the toads are crossing the road to the village pond, or whether these have got fed up with the ducks as well.

[Jude]

Sorry, Monika, thought you said 'Oh'!

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've had to catch this fish in the keep net to remove the randy frog. It has been riding round on it's head for the past three days.

[PLUMPUDDING]

The fish in the photo seems OK, but is keeping to the deep end!

More and more frogs are turning up every day and I've counted over 60 this afternoon. There's a huge patch of frog spawn, so hopefully we'll get a bit of help reducing the slug population when they all leave the pond.

[pongeroon]

Thanks PP and Monika, I have my eye on a likely corner, now its just the small matter of finding time to do it all!

I love this time of year, but its going to get hectic

[PLUMPUDDING]

Can't believe it, but on Monday I counted 60 plus frogs in the pond and by Wednesday there was only one. So, they have obviously done their job and produced masses of spawn and then gone elsewhere - hopefully eating lots of slugs on their way.

[oldherbaceous]

Still not a single sighting here, no frogs and no spawn.
I've started to ask people to keep their eyes open for any sightings slightly further afield.

[PLUMPUDDING]

It is getting a bit late OH. Perhaps they have found a new pond, although saying that aren't they supposed to return to the same pond every year?

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Plumpudding, it's all the ponds in the village that are Frogless, that's the worrying thing.

[Monika]

OH, there is a disease called redleg which affects frogs but, I think, you would have found dead frogs, perhaps at the end of last year's breeding season.

You might try to contact wildaboutbritain.co.uk on their amphibian forum.

If it's not been very warm with you the last fortnight, there is still time for them to turn up!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Monika, i am aware of the redleg disease, and haven't seen any sign of it over the last year.

One thought i have had, we do now have quite a large population of Herons around here. They have emptied everyones ponds of ornamental fish, and i'm wondering if they have now moved onto the frogs!

But i wouldn't have thought they would have got them all.....