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An Essex Wildlife Garden Update! |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Snows all gone here and mild and sunny day today. Not sure where we are with the spawning as it was in full swing just before the weekend freeze. Watching the wildlife cam some male frogs now active, didn't see any frog activity yesterday at all. So not sure now if the 'show is over' or there will be more females arriving this year or not. Time will tell!
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Naughty newt, guess she's hungry and mostly going for the frost damaged spawn!
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chubsta
Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2013 Location: Folkestone,Kent Status: Offline Points: 430 |
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Didn't know newts ate spawn!
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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ooh they do, why it's best if have both frogs and newts to have some shallow areas for the spawn so the newts can only get at the edges, or at least a weedy bit for the frogs to lay the spawn on. A GCN can demolish a whole clump in just a couple of hours!
Had to laugh just now. After saying how few birds we see in the garden just looked out to see pairs of, great tits, blue tits, sparrows, chaffinch, collared dove, and wood pigeons. We've stopped pulling up dead vegetation over the winter, seems the left over seeds and bugs the old seed heads harbor are a nice natural feast at this time of year. Been thinking lots recently about providing natural foods for birds, lots being published at the moment that the communal feeders may spread disease and we stopped using the bird table because of rats and the neighbour's cats. |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Just when I thought spawning must be over, just spotted a pair of frogs, so I think a newly arrived female. Will be checking for a fresh clump of spawn in the morning. No sign of our GCN past couple of nights, starting to wonder if she got bored waiting for a male and has taken a walk! Last time I saw her she was right at the edge of the pond and mostly out of it, wondering if she was ready to leave.
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Taddy trays, they are getting to a good size now and feeding on tubifex as well as spinach. Spawn in pond still has not hatched yet!
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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My pond tadpoles are out of the jelly and all clustering together. My greenhouse ones are not much bigger than the pond ones. I guess because it has been quite cool generally, even in the greenhouse. What lovely clear water Gemma.
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Suz
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Was just after a water change Suz. Try to put them in fresh water every other day, so with 6 trays I do 3 trays each evening. Was something published about larger taddies excreting things that stunt the growth of the others, since changing water regularly pretty sure the growth of taddies in each tray is much more even. Good job it's been raining a lot, plenty of fresh rain water in the butts!
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Some good news, was 6 days ago I last saw our GCN, just been out and she's back! Not sure if she left the pond for a bit of a wander (she's quite big with eggs) or I just didn't spot her for a few days. Seems odd though as she is often very easy to locate when she is about. Funny really was feeling quite emotional when I thought she may have moved on, left me feeling a bit empty that the frogs were all done and she wasn't there anymore. Odd to have such an attachment and feeling emotional about a single animal after years of observing herps, as everything in the pond is free to come and go as it likes, but really excited to see her back.
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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Good news about your GCN Gemma. I know EXACTLY how you feel about the newt as I feel the same about mine. Mind you I think it was last spring or late winter I last saw mine. So I've no idea if it/they are still about or not. I believe you can test pond water to see if GCNs are present. I guess the kit is expensive, still it would be nice to know!
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Suz
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