Amphibian Joy

 

We had both had our suspicions that a frog was living in our mini-pond. I thought I saw small dark head in the middle of the (rather overgrown) oxygenating pondweed last Saturday and David saw something 'flip' the following day. 

We had a colossal thunderstorm with downpour this morning after a long-awaited hour or so of relatively warm sunshine. We took a quick look around the garden this afternoon, just ten minutes ago, and lo and behold, there was the frog! We are so thrilled and excited, the more so since I have been on the look-out for frogspawn for weeks, and have failed to see the slightest sign. 

Two days ago we had three Starlings splashing in our adjoining mini-pond and making quite a to-do. It's lovely to have them but I hope the frog can cope with their capers. 

Watch this space ... and do consider adding a mini-pond if you have an empty corner.

*

Postscript: the Fairy Longhorn moths are back ... Imagine having those antennae!

 

 

Garden Visitor of the Toad Kind

 

This magnificent toad gave us quite a surprise yesterday when we squeezed round the side of our house, looking for butterflies on the Buddleia. 

I suspect he or she possibly had an even greater surprise when we appeared, but s/he simply stayed still and looked up at us through those mysterious copper eyes. 

The photo below was taken by David as soon as he realised there was a toad by the step. This shot from above shows off the pale speckled skin on the legs, which I suppose adds to the creature's camouflage. 

I gather toads like to eat ants; only two days before, we had noticed a lot of large winged ants springing up from an anthill in our long grass. Toads also like beetles; I don't know if 4cm-long stag beetles would see these amphibians biting off more than they can chew!

 

Northern Holiday, 2017 (3): Aberlady Bay Nature Reserve

We returned a number of times to this beautiful corner, often in the evening when the call of the Curlew over the water and mudflats was utterly unforgettable. The photo below shows the approach to the reserve, and while there were no trolls in sight, it did make me think of the Three Billy Goats Gruff and their rickety-rackety bridge!

I particularly liked the bird-print sign on the green slat in the photo below.

And here we are: no prizes for guessing who was the tortoise...

It was lovely to see a few orchids beside the path...

... and one or two butterflies, like this Ringlet.

The photo below shows the bends in the bridge, but fails to give a good indication of its length.

There were some beautiful wildflowers, including Viper's Bugloss.

We had been given a tip-off by other visitors that there were tiny froglets about. We looked and looked along the damp paths, and were just about to give up when the large frog in the photos at the end of this post did a sudden leap in front of me, making me do a proverbial 'jump' out of my skin. After that lively introduction to the amphibian underworld of Aberlady, we got our eye in and found plenty of minute black and/or olive coloured froglets. There were so many, in fact, that we had to tread with the utmost care.

Aberlady became the first 'local nature reserve' back in 1952. It is beautiful by day and by night, with its ever-changing cloudscape, as you can see.

More Frogspawn at Felixstowe

We went looking for spawn at Felixstowe over the weekend, and as you can see, it was still there. I am wondering what the difference is between the two clumps in the picture above. Please leave a comment if you can enlighten me. Is it just a matter of age? Incidentally, I have just joined iSpot so thank you to those who suggested that I might like to do this. It is taking me a little while to find my way around.

The photo below suggests to me that it will not be too long before we are past the spawning stage ...

Scottish Odyssey 1 ~ Heading South (amphibians)

We have just returned from a holiday on (well, mainly off) the west coast of Scotland. The weather was remarkably kind, and even hot at times. To date we have only processed the last of my digital films, so please forgive me if I begin at the end! I shall highlight the creatures we saw in yellow.

It seems remarkable to think that only last weekend we were ambling through the sub-tropical gardens at Arduaine, some miles south of Oban. We were looking for a picnic place on our drive to Dumbarton and noticed a sign saying 'Coastal Viewpoint'. It proved to be an idyllic spot, consisting of coastal views, unspoilt beaches ...

... and glorious plants such as the one below. It seemed very strange to be sitting among palm trees in hot sunshine, but the gardens benefit from the effects of the Gulf Stream.     

Scottish Flame Flower, perhaps?

The Arduaine headland protrudes from Loch Melfort and the gardens, now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, face south over Asknish Bay. The photo below shows the beautiful coastline along the edge of the garden - and despite the fact that schools in Scotland had broken up for the summer vacation, the beach was certainly a crowd-free zone. We watched Gannets flying from one side of the bay to the other and one visitor claimed he saw a White-tailed Eagle.  

After enjoying the view we wandered inland to explore the part of the garden that spreads out around the pond. I had just turned my eyes to the water in the hope of seeing a newt when ...

... right on cue, David spotted one. 

It was a small but fine specimen ...

... and I enjoyed watching the newt as it swam in the water ...

... as it twisted and turned among the tadpoles ...

... and dived under strands of weed.

The tadpole population was certainly very healthy, though I rather suspect that all too few of these small creatures will make it through to maturity. 

It was time to head for that elusive viewpoint, but just before we left the pond, we noticed a second newt (in the photo above). I had a hunch that the newts would be Palmates, perhaps juveniles, but I am not convinced that this identification is correct. I am submitting the sightings to the Reptiles and Amphibians of the UK (RAUK) site for their records. The only eft I have ever seen in Scotland was on the edge of Loch Awe. 

Arduaine - what an unexpected jewel in the Scottish coastline! 

Newts - and BBC Springwatch - at RSPB Minsmere

© David Gill (cropped by me)

We were very excited when we heard that the BBC Springwatch programmes would be coming from RSPB Minsmere, which is a reserve we thought we knew quite well. The first programme has already put paid to that feeling as we found ourselves learning a number of new facts as we watched the screen last night.

However, we made a new 'discovery' of our own at the weekend when we noticed several newts on site. Does anyone know if there is a collective term for them? I know very little about these attractive creatures, but we soon realised that there appeared to be more than one species in the water.

We had hoped that the newt in David's photo above was going to be a Crested Newt, a variety we had not seen, but I suspect the red belly points to an ID of a male Smooth or Common Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris / Triturus vulgaris) since these amphibians display crests during the breeding season. You can read more about them on the ARKive site. You can read about their conservation status here and about their protection under the law here. 

If you are reading this blog and can confirm or refute my tentative identification for the newt above, I would be extremely grateful! To complicate matters somewhat, I understand that the Great Crested Newt can have an orange underside ...

The light conditions made it difficult to catch a good glimpse of the creatures, but we enjoyed seeing them all the same. The newt photographs below have been cropped and enlarged. I had been looking for dragonflies and damselflies, so the newts were an added and unexpected bonus!

Springwatch at RSPB Minsmere

Amphibian Alert ~ Frogs Galore

N.B. My 'Tree Following 2014' post is HERE. The Loose and Leafy page about the project is HERE.

After a tip-off from the Landguard Bird Observatory, we went in search of frogs. I failed to see an amphibian at all last year, but this sighting more than made up for that fact.

This marshy area was apparently part of Horse Shoe Creek up until 1867 when it was brought into use by HM War Department for rifle practice. The pond was dug in 1993 and is now a haven for wildlife.

We counted 73 Common Frogs, and there were probably more in among the spawn and the weed. Leeches, Hemiclepsis marginata, were noted in the pond back in 2011. 

Frogs tend to emerge from hibernation in late February. The females spawn almost immediately. 

There are frequently 300-400 eggs in a clump! 

Spawn was noted here from 29 March in 2013, so our milder winter has brought things forward. 

The pond is part of a Nature Reserve, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the rarity of vegetated shingle habitat nearby. 

I was fascinated by the lighter colour of the frog on the left. The sunlight was low and it was hard to get a crisp photo. Females tend to be a lighter colour than than the males, though frogs have a certain ability to change the tone of their skin to match the light or shade of their environment. Common Frogs come in a surprising range of shades, stripes and speckles.

Common frogs can live up to eight years.

Females tend to be larger than their mates.

Female frogs begin producing spawn once they reach their third year. 

The photo above shows the wide windswept beach at Felixstowe's Landguard Point.

 And finally ... a photo showing conservation work in action, protecting the habitat of the rare Stinking Goosefoot.