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Post by rowanberry on Feb 13, 2022 10:45:05 GMT
First newt of the year has just appeared in my pond. Which is great as I have just refilled it after a major refurbishment. Still to finish planting it out. Harold. That's early! Good that you got it refilled in time. I hope you can share photos when you get it planted out later.
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Post by Harold Smith on Feb 15, 2022 10:51:18 GMT
Amphibian of yesterday. There are now five newts in the pond.
Must get on with replanting. Weather not helping though. Over 13mm of rain yesterday and since 7am this morning over 3mm and is still raining quite heavily. Forecast for today is rain, rain and more rain.
Harold.
15:20. Rainfall now at 11.6mm. Pond has overflowed.
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Post by rowanberry on Feb 17, 2022 21:04:51 GMT
I saw a newt yesterday in the pond. There also seemed to be something kicking about in the watercress, and I'm presuming a frog. The cress has survived the winter- it didn't last year, so it's good it's getting a head start.
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Post by aeshna5 on Feb 24, 2022 14:11:14 GMT
Noticed one frog this morning with its head sticking out of the water in my pond. No spawn yet but some local ponds do seem to have some now. Hope I get some!
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Post by aeshna5 on Feb 25, 2022 15:43:12 GMT
This morning I put the bird feeders out while it was still dark as I wanted to getup Richmond Park before the traffic got busy. As I walked past the pond there was some splashing as the frogs disappeared.
Yesterday I collected one ball of spawn that I'd found in some flooded grass that would have had no chance of successfully developing where it was. When I got home a second clump had been laid next to it. Tonight looks pretty cold & frosty so doubt any more activity tonight?
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Post by ianr on Mar 1, 2022 7:37:38 GMT
Been watching the pond for any sign of frog activity and up to last night I'd not seen any, last night it was raining hard and as the wife let the dog out the was a little scream as she opened the door and a frog jumped off the door mat quickly followed down the path by the dog. I picked the frog up and as I approached the pond there were 2 in amplexus just diving for the bottom I popped the small frog into the pond a little later another frog was spotted making it's way across the path towards the pond The sun hasn't quite reached the pond yet so it's still cold water. This morning I looked and saw 1 frog moving about in the weed no spawn, soon maybe we will ian
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Post by aeshna5 on Mar 1, 2022 11:32:20 GMT
About 4 frogs in my pond at dawn after a wet night with a pair in amplexus. Number is down on last year at the moment.
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Post by aeshna5 on Mar 3, 2022 12:59:43 GMT
During my walk into Perivale Park I managed to find about 15 clumps of frog spawn joined in a mass together. Number seems well down.
Yesterday when I walked into the country park down the road I could see no sign of either frogs or spawn, which surprised me as we've had a couple of days with what I would consider optimal conditions for frog mating/spawning, being fairly mild at night & decidedly damp.
I do think that local populations are declining. I think one of the key drivers is dry springs. Frogs love to lay in shallow water but many of these sites have dried up before any froglets have developed.
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Post by rowanberry on Mar 9, 2022 19:03:01 GMT
The frogs have started kicking about in the pond, and stirring up the duckweed. Which shouldn't be there technically, but winter wasn't cold enough to kill if off this year. I've been sieving it out for the past month... going to be interesting trying to keep the surface of the pond clear once spawn starts appearing.
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Post by aeshna5 on Mar 11, 2022 14:52:12 GMT
Seems to have been a second wave of frogs this morning with 3 present including a pair in amplexus by the old spawn.
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Post by aeshna5 on Mar 16, 2022 14:13:11 GMT
This morning had a prompt walk around to the "hills" in the local country park to see if any Wheatears had dropped in (they hadn't!) & then looked for frog activity. I did find a spawn mass that probably constituted c30 clumps coalesced as one which hadn't been present a few days ago.
Highlight was seeing my first Smooth Newts of the season.
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Post by aeshna5 on Apr 26, 2022 14:33:20 GMT
I could hear my first Marsh Frogs today at the London Wetland Centre & eventually saw one with its inflated air sacs as it made its duck like racket & briefly a skirmish between a couple of them.
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Post by aeshna5 on May 7, 2022 19:03:40 GMT
Did well for herps in northern Greece with quite a few Dice Snakes including a mating pair & one swallowing a fish, 2 small Grass Snakes, several European Pond Terrapins, Herman's & a couple of Spur-thighed Tortoises & several colourful Eastern Green Lizards.
Greek Marsh Frogs were everywhere near water by the hundred- quite a noise!
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Post by aeshna5 on May 14, 2022 15:55:22 GMT
In the warmth of the day the sun-loving Marsh Frogs were very vocal at Rainham today. From one of the hides I could see a large olive specimen covered in large dark blotches with a much smaller one next to it. Further back on another mat of algae was one of intermediate size but a yellowish vertebral stripe. Quite variable in appearance. I once saw a bright turquoise one here.
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Post by aeshna5 on Jun 3, 2022 6:01:54 GMT
While away saw good numbers of the fluorescent Eastern Green Lizards & plenty of Common Wall Lizards as well as my first Greek Slow-worm (a recent split from ours). Sadly our only snake was a dead Nose-horned Viper.
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