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Frogs Spawning: |
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Peter Vaughan Senior Member Joined: 21 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 170  View other posts by Peter Vaughan |
Posted: 13 Feb 2011 In a small south Hampshire pond yesterday there were approximately 100 frogs, making a very fine call chorus around mid-day, and with a few masses of spawn already produced. Peter Vaughan |
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Shawit Member Joined: 08 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 7 View other posts by Shawit |
Posted: 13 Feb 2011 2 clumps of spawn in my small garden pond this morning in Central bristol. At it again tonight. Only 8 frogs visible when in past years there has been between 40 - 60. Also spawning in local park tonight. Earliest spawning in the last 7 years I've lived at the house was February 24th and more often in early March. I'm hoping more frogs turn up in a couple of weeks and the harsh December weather didn't crash the adult population. |
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Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412  View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 14 Feb 2011
I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents. 
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 14 Feb 2011 A frog or maybe two in my East Devon pond for a few days now. However when scraping some duckweed off today another dead frog was floating below the surface. Suz |
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Shawit Member Joined: 08 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 7 View other posts by Shawit |
Posted: 14 Feb 2011 3 more clumps this morning. Interestingly, they've used the smaller, shallower of my 2 ponds. In previous years they've shunned this pond. The water in the larger of the 2 ponds looks clear but smells ( like dead hidden frog corpses?! ) - I wonder if this has anything to do with the switch. |
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Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 15 Feb 2011
I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents.
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 15 Feb 2011 Several clumps near where I work in Gateshead this lunchtime. |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 15 Feb 2011 I am wondering if the position of my pond is the reason why it doesn't have early spawn. It is starting to catch the sun now but is not in full sun. When combined with the fact that it is a deep pond with no shallows it probably has colder water. Or am I wrong and this sort of thing doesn't matter? Suz |
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Scale Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 No. of posts: 83  View other posts by Scale |
Posted: 16 Feb 2011 I reckon you're probably right Suzi. Frogs are more able to over-winter in deeper garden ponds so could potentially 'breed' earlier in the season if shallow, sunny margins are made available to them. Get yer shovel out and dig!!  |
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ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby |
Posted: 16 Feb 2011 tks for posting all! i think so too suz. ive got 2 ponds. half of the larger, deeper one gets full sun ALL day, the rest of it only part of the day. noting (as you did with yours) that newts were quaffing most of the spawn/hanging stage tads (esp at night), i hastily constructed a second, shallower pool at a much higher elevation one year. the whole thing gets full sun all day. i only meant it to be temporary - it looks pretty shoddy!! 
but it has remained here ever since. because the next year (and hitherto) around 70% of the 100+ frogs i get, instantly switched preference. there was almost more spawn than water in it last year
i always let this one succeed to more of a "marshy"-type habitat with much more emergent plant cover as the year progresses (mainly marsh marigold, yellow flag, brooklime and watercress) than the other - so theres loads of hiding places for metamorphs. no management til early winter. its a sort of counterpoint to the more open feel of the other pond. it seems to help. froglets are much easier to find in the little 1. 
newts make their way to it too of course (esp palmates) but not in the same number as the main pond. possibly because most of the hibernacula are nearer to the big one. BACK TO MAIN TOPIC; no spawn here (Glos) yet but saw around 80 newts and around 50 frogs tonight. inc several pairs in amplexus. heard a couple calling.  Diversity. |
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Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 17 Feb 2011 I wanna see pics of your ponds.  I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents.
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Shawit Member Joined: 08 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 7 View other posts by Shawit |
Posted: 17 Feb 2011 The frogs in my 2 ponds have spawned ( for the first time ) in the shallowest area of the smallest pond. This area receives sunlight in the morning. The other pond they usually spawn in is much deeper but receives more sunlight. Interestingly, new frogs have turned up in the last couple of days that are now in amplexus ( presumably haven't spawned ) and are in the larger pond they usually spawn in. In previous years it's always 1 big fiesta on 1 night. This year it seems to be staggered. ( If I had the skills I would post photos ) |
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Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 21 Feb 2011 [QUOTE=Shawit]( If I had the skills I would post photos )[/QUOTE] .......
[QUOTE=Baby Sue] [QUOTE=Scale]If anyone can let me know how to post pics here, i'll Try this.....
Baby SueÆs Instructions On How To Post Photos: -
Go to here http://photobucket.com/ and set up an account. Photobucket should send you an email giving you basic instructions of how to activate your account, do it. Once the account is activated go back to http://photobucket.com/ and log in. Click on æUpload nowÆ. Click æSelect photos and videosÆ. Find and select the photo on your computer that you want to upload. Click open. In a few seconds you should have the option to click æSave and continue to my albumÆ. Your photo will appear on the page. If you point your mouse on the photo, 4 lines will appear. The bottom one says 'IMG Code'. Left click within the box to the right of that. It will temporarily say æCopiedÆ. Come back to this board and start a post. Right hand click. Go to 'Paste'. If you do a preview now your photo should appear. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents.
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Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 View other posts by Baby Sue |
Posted: 21 Feb 2011 I always feel a month behind you lot all talking about your frog sightings and spawn, it always happens much later up north. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents.
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- Frogs Spawning |
