"Jake" wrote in message
...
If I can get some decent photos later on I'll post them - so far I'm
getting too much reflection from that bright thing in the sky.

Invest in a polarising filter for you camera.This will cut out any unwanted
reflections if take at the correct angle. Reflections from metal won't be
eliminated though.

Bill



Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

On Mar 18, 1:51*pm, Jake wrote:
Yesterday there were 11 distinct clumps of frog spawn in the pond and
I could see a fair few of the little luvvies inside wriggling a bit so
was expecting them to hatch over the coming week or so.

By this morning, though, the whole lot had hatched in one go and
they've somehow merged into two masses. The empty eggs have formed
themselves into two circles of gooey stuff around the two lots of
wrigglers. I can't see even a single unhatched one though there may be
some underneath the masses.

I've never known everything to happen all at once like this. Usually I
just leave them to their own devices but I'm now wondering if the pond
will sustain them all - I gave it a real clear out last year so
there's not that much for them to feed on.

I know some people use fish food and was wondering if there's a "best
type" to use and when I ought to start putting some in. There are no
fish in the pond.

I'm also wondering whether I should somehow break up the larger of the
two masses which is well over a foot in diameter (the smaller one is
about 6 inches) and is really a "solid" mass of babies, maybe by
twirling a stick around in the mass to give the ones in the middle a
chance to get out.

Any ideas welcome!

When small, they eat mostly algae.

On 18/03/2012 22:45, Jake wrote:
On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:27:13 +0000, wrote:



Oh stop it! ;-)). I do envy you your amphibious friends .. and your
hostas (turns green with envy). I suppose your lawn is greener than
mine, too :~).

Nah, back lawn's currently crap, despite a lot of work over the last 2
years which has seen most of it lifted, the soil underneath dug over,
pumped full of grit to improve drainage, and then relaid or resown.
Looked lovely last year. This year, no weeds and very little moss but
the grass is sparse. Will soon be overseeding and feeding like mad.

The front lawns look good though.Tiny one was relaid completely last
year whilst the other's untouched original except where I've removed
shrubs to open it out a bit. I've noticed that whilst last year the
grass was all the same colour, the bits that were seeded when shrubs
were removed are currently darker than the rest. Weird.

As well as froggie (and hoggie) slug eaters, my secret slug deterrent
around the hostas is shredded CDs and DVDs. I offer to remove the
CD/DVD waste from offices on estates I manage and have a shredder that
pulverises them into confetti. These are scattered around the plants
like crushed eggshells. Plus points are that they don't decompose and
in the sun you get a multi-coloured glint shining through the plants.
And, of course, slugs and snails don't like the sharp edges. I can
also dig the shards into the ground whenever and they act like coarse
grit to improve drainage. There are lots of uses for unshredded CDs
and DVDs as well.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.


I sympathise with the lawn problem. What is it with lawns? They either
seem to look gorgeous or grim. Both mine are poor at the moment, but
despite efforts to improve them, I suspect there's still quite a bit of
builder's rubble deep down. Nevermind, I shall weed, feed and mow, then
put up with the result.

The CD shreddings sound quite effective and even attractive, which
surprises me. However, they do sound rather sharp. Don't you have
problems weeding? I'm forever cutting myself on glass in my soil, and I
imagine shards of CD could be quite nasty

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:30:59 +0000, Spider wrote:

On 18/03/2012 22:45, Jake wrote:

As well as froggie (and hoggie) slug eaters, my secret slug deterrent
around the hostas is shredded CDs and DVDs. I offer to remove the
CD/DVD waste from offices on estates I manage and have a shredder that
pulverises them into confetti. These are scattered around the plants
like crushed eggshells. Plus points are that they don't decompose and
in the sun you get a multi-coloured glint shining through the plants.
And, of course, slugs and snails don't like the sharp edges. I can
also dig the shards into the ground whenever and they act like coarse
grit to improve drainage. There are lots of uses for unshredded CDs
and DVDs as well.


The CD shreddings sound quite effective and even attractive, which
surprises me. However, they do sound rather sharp. Don't you have
problems weeding? I'm forever cutting myself on glass in my soil, and I
imagine shards of CD could be quite nasty

I don't actually find the CD shards that sharp though they do deter
slugs and snails. I've certainly never cut myself on them. Indeed,
when spreading them I have a bag full from the shredder and just grab
a handful to scatter. Only time they get painful is if one gets under
the finger nail.

Last year I made a hedgehog/thrush feeding contraption using a pot
saucer. I glued some CD shards around the inside of the rim and then
popped some slugs and snails in. They certainly didn't get out and the
smashed shells nearby the next morning indicated that the thrushes had
enjoyed breakfast. The slugs were also devoured by the visiting hogs.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

On Mar 18, 7:10*pm, Jake wrote:
On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:22:34 -0700 (PDT), Doug
wrote:

*So what happens should I get masses of tiny frogs, or will most

of them be killed or just die?

What I thought were bats on my night CCTV have turned out to be large
moths which trigger the motion detector.

Doug.

The survival rate is, unfortunately, miniscule - maybe 3 or 4 mature
frogs from a load of spawn. They eat each other and other wildlife
loves them. It takes a few years before a frog is mature enough to lay
but somehow, the year after you've found spawn in a pond, older frogs
will find the place and once the original few get to laying stage
they'll be back as well and wahey! So you'll have increasing amounts
spawn each year after the first as long as you maintain the right
conditions. I've even read that if an old pond is filled in, it's not
unusual to find spawn laid on the ground where it used to be for a few
years.

Last year I'd drained the pond a bit at spawning time as it had to be
cleared out. Things got a bit crowded and one frog jumped out of the
pond and laid on the path beside it (with the cat and me watching
somewhat bemused) then hopped back in.

Bats are a mixed blessing. Noticed some flying round the house in
circles every summer night some years ago. On one or two occasions one
has flown in through an open window. Spoke to local bat people. Turns
out there are some males "nesting" in the cavity wall of the house.
Sensible creatures are bats! There's a roost of females down the road
in the church tower. The males fly down there for their bit of fun and
then leave the ladies to get on with the job whilst they return here
for some peace and quiet. I've been told that the number of males here
will never fluctuate. If an old one dies, a youngster will be invited
to replace him but any extras will be turfed out.

Downside is we can't get the cavity wall insulated. But that's a small
price to pay I think.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

I seem to have fish, newts, and frogs with their spawn all living
happily together in the pond so far and no unwanted visits from cats
and foxes lately. So everything in the garden is lovely.

Doug.

Jake wrote in
:

Didn't you have some frogs somewhere in your garden a while back? You
probably didn't get the ponds dug in time. But don't worry - if you
had frogs anywhere in the garden this year they will come back next
year and you may well find spawn then. It took a year or two before my
pond got colonised.

I already had two small ponds, both of which had frogs in them last Summer.
I did see a couple of frogs about three weeks ago, just after the final
light frost. But none since, for some reason.

On the other side of my tall garden wall, is a field with some man-made
ponds. I've seen frogs in that field. I wonder if I could go and take some
spawn from those ponds and put it in my own ponds and hope to get some new
frogs as a result...

Al

On Mar 21, 11:31*pm, "AL_n" wrote:
Jake wrote :

Didn't you have some frogs somewhere in your garden a while back? You
probably didn't get the ponds dug in time. But don't worry - if you
had frogs anywhere in the garden this year they will come back next
year and you may well find spawn then. It took a year or two before my
pond got colonised.

I already had two small ponds, both of which had frogs in them last Summer.

Doug wrote in news:14bc123f-6d28-46cc-ad12-
:

It might work. I have transferred one of my clumps to another fishless
pond and they seem to be OK.

I have at least three clumps of frog spawn but they seem to be taking
a long time to hatch. After nearly a week they are just getting a bit
elongated from a black dot.

You're lucky, I can;t find any spawn. Nor have I seen any frogs lately! I'm
a bit worried that something has killed them off.

Al

"AL_n" wrote in
:

Doug wrote in news:14bc123f-6d28-46cc-ad12-
:

It might work. I have transferred one of my clumps to another
fishless pond and they seem to be OK.

I have at least three clumps of frog spawn but they seem to be taking
a long time to hatch. After nearly a week they are just getting a bit
elongated from a black dot.

You're lucky, I can;t find any spawn. Nor have I seen any frogs
lately! I'm a bit worried that something has killed them off.

Al

PS... Woohooo! I just saw one! (The first for several weeks!) I was in the
garden, adding attractive additions to my ponds, such as chunks of rotting
logs around the periphery, when a young one showed it's face! Gotta love
those creatures; it's as if they know they are my #1 ally, and that I won't
hurt them. I had a little chat the lil' darlin' before leaving him in
peace. Hopefully, that one has been busy laying eggs. I do hope more of
them will appear soon. I was worried that my slug pellets might have killed
them (even though I was using organic pellets)...

Al

On Mar 25, 3:06*pm, "AL_n" wrote:
"AL_n" wrote :

Doug wrote in news:14bc123f-6d28-46cc-ad12-
:

It might work. I have transferred one of my clumps to another
fishless pond and they seem to be OK.

I have at least three clumps of frog spawn but they seem to be taking
a long time to hatch. After nearly a week they are just getting a bit
elongated from a black dot.

You're lucky, I can;t find any spawn. Nor have I seen any frogs
lately! I'm a bit worried that something has killed them off.

Al

PS... Woohooo! I just saw one! (The first for several weeks!) I was in the
garden, adding attractive additions to my ponds, such as chunks of rotting
logs around the periphery, when a young one showed it's face! Gotta love
those creatures; it's as if they know they are my #1 ally, and that I won't
hurt them. I had a little chat the lil' darlin' before leaving him in
peace. Hopefully, that one has been busy laying eggs. I do hope more of
them will appear soon. I was worried that my slug pellets might have killed
them (even though I was using organic pellets)...

Yes they stick their heads up and stare, as if to say "What are you
doing to my pond?"

Doug.

On Mar 25, 4:27*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-03-25 15:06:41 +0100, "AL_n" said:









"AL_n" wrote in
:

Doug wrote in news:14bc123f-6d28-46cc-ad12-
:

It might work. I have transferred one of my clumps to another
fishless pond and they seem to be OK.

I have at least three clumps of frog spawn but they seem to be taking
a long time to hatch. After nearly a week they are just getting a bit
elongated from a black dot.

You're lucky, I can;t find any spawn. Nor have I seen any frogs
lately! I'm a bit worried that something has killed them off.

Al

PS... Woohooo! I just saw one! (The first for several weeks!) I was in the
garden, adding attractive additions to my ponds, such as chunks of rotting
logs around the periphery, when a young one showed it's face! Gotta love
those creatures; it's as if they know they are my #1 ally, and that I won't
hurt them. I had a little chat the lil' darlin' before leaving him in
peace. Hopefully, that one has been busy laying eggs. I do hope more of
them will appear soon. I was worried that my slug pellets might have killed
them (even though I was using organic pellets)...

Al

I was amazed and a bit sad to see one little frog up in the field, a
long way from the ponds, though in very wet grass. *But he'd
electrocuted himself on the fence round the chicken run. *;-(
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.comwww.hillhousenurseryt earoom.com
South Devon

It must be difficult for a frog to make contact with the live wires
and the ground at the same time.

The dog from next door got a hefty shock from my pond fence on
Saturday, I am glad to say, when it was trying to wreck my garden. It
hadn't been over the fence for weeks before that.

Doug.

On Mar 26, 9:42*am, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-03-26 07:00:17 +0100, Doug said:









On Mar 25, 4:27*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-03-25 15:06:41 +0100, "AL_n" said:

"AL_n" wrote in
:

Doug wrote in news:14bc123f-6d28-46cc-ad12-
:

It might work. I have transferred one of my clumps to another
fishless pond and they seem to be OK.

I have at least three clumps of frog spawn but they seem to be taking
a long time to hatch. After nearly a week they are just getting a bit
elongated from a black dot.

You're lucky, I can;t find any spawn. Nor have I seen any frogs
lately! I'm a bit worried that something has killed them off.

Al

PS... Woohooo! I just saw one! (The first for several weeks!) I was in
the
garden, adding attractive additions to my ponds, such as chunks of rott
ing
logs around the periphery, when a young one showed it's face! Gotta lov
e
those creatures; it's as if they know they are my #1 ally, and that I w
on't
hurt them. I had a little chat the lil' darlin' before leaving him in
peace. Hopefully, that one has been busy laying eggs. I do hope more of
them will appear soon. I was worried that my slug pellets might have ki
lled
them (even though I was using organic pellets)...

Al

I was amazed and a bit sad to see one little frog up in the field, a
long way from the ponds, though in very wet grass. *But he'd
electrocuted himself on the fence round the chicken run. *;-(
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.comwww.hillhousenurseryt earoom.com
South Devon

It must be difficult for a frog to make contact with the live wires
and the ground at the same time.

The dog from next door got a hefty shock from my pond fence on
Saturday, I am glad to say, *when it was trying to wreck my garden. It
hadn't been over the fence for weeks before that.

Doug.

Not difficult in this case as it's a mesh fence round the chicken run.
The frog must have been intending to hop through it but touched the
bottom of the mesh with his front pads and was electrocuted.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.comwww.hillhousenurseryt earoom.com
South Devon

My tadpoles have started to hatch at last.

A spider is using one of by IR CCTV cameras as a lure and keeps
putting a web across it every night and repeatedly sets off the motion
detector.

Doug.

On Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:57:17 -0700 (PDT), Doug
wrote:


A spider is using one of by IR CCTV cameras as a lure and keeps
putting a web across it every night and repeatedly sets off the motion
detector.

Maybe there is some collusion between your 8 legged critters and the
local fox population:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukwildlife/2464046601/

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the east end of the totally
dry and sunny Swansea Bay.

On 27/03/2012 18:44, Jake wrote:
On Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:57:17 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:


A spider is using one of by IR CCTV cameras as a lure and keeps
putting a web across it every night and repeatedly sets off the motion
detector.

Maybe there is some collusion between your 8 legged critters and the
local fox population:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukwildlife/2464046601/

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the east end of the totally
dry and sunny Swansea Bay.


The Lycosid Pardosa spiders are more commonly tagged Wolf Spiders
(because it was believed that they hunted in packs). I'm not sure any
old canid will do.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On Mar 28, 12:55*pm, Spider wrote:
On 27/03/2012 18:44, Jake wrote:









On Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:57:17 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

A spider is using one of by IR CCTV cameras as a lure and keeps
putting a web across it every night and repeatedly sets off the motion
detector.

Maybe there is some collusion between your 8 legged critters and the
local fox population:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukwildlife/2464046601/

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the east end of the totally
dry and sunny Swansea Bay.

The Lycosid Pardosa spiders are more commonly tagged Wolf Spiders
(because it was believed that they hunted in packs). *I'm not sure any
old canid will do.

Loads of tadpoles in the small pond seem to be doing fine. There is a
frog in there too. Will it be eating my tadpoles or protecting them
instead? The tadpoles in my fish pond are about to hatch. Have been
feeding the fish plenty to stop them getting hungry and eating the
tadpoles.

Doug.