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Old 24-02-2003, 11:45 PM
Darren Jackson
 
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Default Frogs... the new batch

Tadpoles/toadpoles are quickly gobbled up by fish and other predators
including birds. More than once last year I saw crows pecking them out the
water. I hand reared some indoors last year (they develop very quickly in
the warm 20**°C indoors compared to the "cold" 0°C to 10°C outdoors. They
just need the water clearing out every other day or so as it gets pretty
mucky. It's cool to watch them develop though. Even as froglets they are
susceptible to predators, I saw a couple get gobbled by my modestly sized
fish. They reckon in the wild only a fraction of 1% survive, hence the
amount of spawn they lay!!

Darren

"Lee Brouillet" wrote in message
...
How cute!!! All I seem to get around here are Southern Toads: they engage
in - amplexus - (such a fancy name for what they're doin'! G) and leave

..
. . 3 days later, the pond's full of toadpoles. Shortly thereafter, they

all
disappear - I mean every last one of 'em! - during the day, while I'm at
work. When I leave, there are a gazillion of them - when I come home, not

a
one! You'd think my yard would look like the 7th Plague of Egypt, but you
can't find a single, solitary toadlet. Very strange. . .

Lee


"Darren Jackson" darren-jackson@2002-connectfree-co-uk wrote in message
.. .
First signs of frog amplexus here in central England today. The water is
still quite cold, betwen 1°C and 4°C over the past few days. Two pairs

of
frogs getting all loved up though. The new batch, coming soon! :-)

Here are a few photos from last year.
http://www.aprt65.dsl.pipex.com/darrenjackson/Pond.html

Any other signs of action around the UK?

Regards
Darren