On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:53:02 +0000, MadCow wrote
(in article ):

In message . com, Rod
writes
On 24 Feb, 20:34, Sally Thompson
wrote:
Saw our first frogspawn of the year today - two weeks earlier than usual
(last year was on 11th March). I think this is very early for this part of
the country. We went out just now with the torch and the big pond is
teeming
with frogs. Quite lifts the heart.

Also newts already in the pond, which seems early to us although we haven't
kept a record of dates of those.

Mind you, they don't really need the pond since the ground is so incredibly
waterlogged it's difficult to walk on at the moment. They could just bask
in
the puddles.

Just been out on the Clwydian Hills this afternoon, there's a cattle
trough on the side of Foel Fenlli at about 450m asl, part filled with
mud and stones from a landslip leaving only about 50-150mm of water
and it's piled high with frogspawn. I watch this trough every year.
I've seen spawn in there when it's frozen and when it's nearly dry but
there's some there every year - never seen a frog around there
though ;~)


I've seen newts in an undamaged cattle trough on Dartmoor - we could
just about imagine newts walking all the way up there, but we couldn't
see how they'd got into the trough.

Meanwhile, a third frog has spawned in my pondlet.



And Tony counted 24 frogs heaving around in the pond this morning (well, I
think that's what they were doing g). There must be many more we haven't
seen, and it's a wonderful sight.




--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

MadCow writes


I'd like newts. Would they be able to survive in small suburban
gardens if I could get some spawn?


They like a lot of weed in the pond. They lay single eggs which they
wrap in the leaves of the pond weed - it's not easy to spot, so getting
hold of spawn might be the problem!

We were given four young newts by a neighbour who had a breeding colony
in a pond about 4ft long, and now have nearly a hundred at breeding time
each year.


--
Kay

Robert writes
In message , Sacha
writes

Every year I'm surprised at how long it takes for the spawn to appear in our
pond, given that the toads have been around for some time. I know
absolutely nothing about gestation with regard to toads, so how long DOES it
normally take for them to spawn? Do the females hold off until the weather
warms up a bit, or something?!


No idea about the comparative gestation times of frogs and toads -
based on the fact that I found a very sleepy male toad still
hibernating in a heap of leaf litter yesterday perhaps they are just
more laid back than the frogs who seem to start mating when weather
conditions are still risky.

Frogs lay spawn earlier in the year than toads - our frog spawn is any
time from beginning to end of March, and I think (but am not sure) that
it's nearer May with toads.

Are what you seeing around now toads or frogs? Frogs have a dark patch
behind the eye, often spotted or blotched, and leap. Toads have no eye
patch, are very obviously fatter and squatter in shape, they waddle
rather than leap, and are warty so as to appear exactly like a lump of
clay soil.

--
Kay

In message , K
writes
Robert writes
In message , Sacha
writes

Every year I'm surprised at how long it takes for the spawn to appear in our
pond, given that the toads have been around for some time. I know
absolutely nothing about gestation with regard to toads, so how long DOES it
normally take for them to spawn? Do the females hold off until the weather
warms up a bit, or something?!


No idea about the comparative gestation times of frogs and toads -
based on the fact that I found a very sleepy male toad still
hibernating in a heap of leaf litter yesterday perhaps they are just
more laid back than the frogs who seem to start mating when weather
conditions are still risky.

Frogs lay spawn earlier in the year than toads - our frog spawn is any
time from beginning to end of March, and I think (but am not sure) that
it's nearer May with toads.

Are what you seeing around now toads or frogs? Frogs have a dark patch
behind the eye, often spotted or blotched, and leap. Toads have no eye
patch, are very obviously fatter and squatter in shape, they waddle
rather than leap, and are warty so as to appear exactly like a lump of
clay soil.

Plenty of frogs (and newts) in the pond - the only toad I have spotted
so far this year is the one I disturbed from hibernation.
--
Robert

On 4/3/07 20:52, in article , "Robert"
wrote:

snip Plenty of frogs (and newts) in the pond - the only toad I have
spotted
so far this year is the one I disturbed from hibernation.

We have loads of frog spawn but so far now toad spawn. I never see the
newts, though Ray assures me they're there.
I want to get some spawn into the newer (but well-established) pond but am
advised not to move the spawn but to wait for the tads to hatch and move
those across. What does the Panel think?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

I'd like newts. Would they be able to survive in small suburban
gardens if I could get some spawn?

They like a lot of weed in the pond. They lay single eggs which they
wrap in the leaves of the pond weed - it's not easy to spot, so getting
hold of spawn might be the problem!

A longtime ago when the kids were young we went pond dipping and got some
weed and snails and water beetles and things. Brought it all back and kept
it all in a smallish container on the window sill near the dining table. A
fair few weeks later, the weed had gone mad and the snails and things were
doing well. Then at one meal time we heard a "plop" from the tank, and
another. Upon investigation we discovered we had a young newt complete
with gills. We must have brought back an egg with the weed, and we'd not
noticed and we also hadn't noticed the young eft growing for many weeks
among the weeds!

It was a wonderfull thing to have. We returned the newt to the original
pond.