Amphibians & Reptiles 2020

WendyBartter said:

are all the frogs called David & Davina?

I expect that's what they wanted to call all the tadpoles having specifically laid them on the 1st.

As you know, I've been hoping to catch the frogs this year, so I was pleased to find some spawn on Sunday and then to spot this pair hiding a few feet away.

They tried to make a break for it when they realised they'd been spotted

Unfortunately, a subsequent photo shows one of the pair (I think the male) has been literally ripped open presumably by a heron. You can just make a pale bulge on the top side which is the frog's insides hanging out. I won't put up the more graphic image. Surprisingly both were actively swimming although I don't know how given the injury one had suffered.

Then not far away I noticed two more sitting up in a small clearing in the reeds

Slowly, another would surface appearing as if from nowhere ... and then another and another

Until you end up with this

Never seen so many frogs in one place. I think I have 17 in one photo so I guess there were many more. They had all obviously disappeared when they first spotted me and then slowly come back out. I even found some more close to the pond's edge. Every time I it came up and I raised the camera it would disappear again. Eventually it decided I wasn't a threat and posed for a few photos

And then, from nowhere, there were more, including 3 who kindly lined up. The middle one is so wide I'm guessing it must be a female full of spawn

The eyes ... the eyes! It looks like that front frog has too many eyes until you realise there's another behind him.

That's the first time I've found a group spawning like that.

Now for the toads!

Great captures Nige ... everything comes to those who wait!!

I was told the other day there was some spawn in a puddle just a little ways down the road and it always dries up so when I got back I had a look and found it put some in a plastic bag and put it in a tub in rain water had a look today and got tadpoles :) so will make a proper home for them.

Spawn clump #8 11th March, suspect that's the last

No photos yet, but six big Froggies in the pond today, with more spawn than you could reasonably be expected to eat in the one sitting.!!
Hopefully more than a single mono-pole this year.!! :-)

We have our first frog spawn, which appeared three days after I heard some noisy frogs early one morning.

One happy frog, not sure whether mum or dad....

and the frog spawn three days later

Do you think the spawn has been eaten Wendy? We've never had any in our pond but I did find one of our newts on mon cleaning out some blanket weed. I imagine the newts might eat frog spawn along with dragonfly larvae.

Yes Tony, I strongly suspect Newt or Dragonfly larvae predation ... my Niece found a scary looking one in her very new pond just yesterday but fortunately has a healthy population of newly hatched tadpoles! I shall be clearing out my small pond today in search of beasties & then provide a safe habitat for these last ones to live in!

Its rare these days we see any taddies in our pond, but among all the other predators, we have two fish, and I know they anjoy some taddies for lunch, I've seen the fish eating them in the past.