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Spawnwatch 2016 |
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Caleb
Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Status: Offline Points: 660 |
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One clump here in Gateshead yesterday, a couple of days later than last year.
This year's "Nature's Calendar" interactive frogspawn map is at:
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Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
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Thanks Caleb.
You encouraged us to use this last year didn't you? Sorry, i mean't to look before but didn't get around to it. Will take a look. |
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Ben W
Member Joined: 11 Feb 2011 Location: Midlands Status: Offline Points: 23 |
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Here in Derby my first spawn appeared overnight 29/2 -1/3 much more has appeared since then. usually the pond is a mass of croaking males several days prior but this year I have seen very few frogs just spawn.
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Liz Heard
Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429 |
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Well done Ben, thanks for reporting from Derbyshire. Most of us regular posters live in the south, so good to hear of your's and Calebs upcountry finds.
There i was earlier confidently stating that all the spawnings at a site usually take place overnight (R.temporaria= here today, gone tomorra, i believe), but as if purposefully trying to mock me, this year, a good number of locations (including my own ponds) i've returned to, seem to have bucked 'tradition' with much more staggered egg-laying, over days or even weeks. Maybe confused females owing to the wildly fluctuating weather/temps are the reason? So anyway, here's an (in situ) example. Bude Canal again, nearly a month later. I'm no photographer, but anyone can have an idea they can't effectively execute! I tried to replicate the dark/light contrast of an individual frog egg with the spot lighting: Caleb - have joined and submitted an observation to Nature's Calendar. cheers all Ben |
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will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
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Hi Ben, I like the idea of the 'eggs within the egg' I'm sure you are right about the staggered spawning - the fortnight of cold weather has forced them to hunker down and cross their legs. I have had no spawn yet in my pond in Herts, presumably because they didn't get their act together in mid Feb before the cold snap, but there are dozens of pairs at the pond now, so I'm looking forward to an explosion of spawn over the next few days!
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Caleb
Senior Member Joined: 11 Apr 2011 Status: Offline Points: 660 |
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'Staggered' spawning seems to be normal for the pond I posted a photo of above- here's a graph of (approximate) cumulative spawn count vs day of the year for the last few years:
Maybe the relatively low counts at this pond make a little bit of extra spawn more noticeable?
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will
Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1830 |
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Nice graph - Chris Packham would love that! mine would be two humps last year I think - a first small spawning, then cold weather, then the bulk of it around 2 weeks later.
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Suzy
Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1447 |
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Is the variation in spawning dates a way that ensures some will make it successfully? It would seem that later dates would be more viable as it would likely be warmer (still frost possible but not so severe). What advantages would the early clumps get? Do females that were from early clumps tend to lay early themselves?
Or as others say, just a case of all ready to lay but crossing their legs and waiting for a mild night. My spawn in an unheated greenhouse is at the stage of breaking away from the jelly at any time - some wriggling going on. Soon be time to get it outside in shallow troughs. Saw my neighbour today, where I've got spawn from other years and he still hasn't had any. I've got frogs in the pond still, so may get some more spawn yet. |
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Suz
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Iowarth
Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Status: Offline Points: 743 |
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Oweing to computer problems I was unable to record my first spawn clump in the garden when it occurred - 23rd February. Interestingly it was in the one pond of three never before used. It has now been joined by another 13 clumps all in the same small pond - none in any of the others!
The number is very pleasing as we lost most of our frog population some years back due to red-leg. One pair survived and kept spawning for two-three years after that. We then increased by one clump a year topping out at 7 clumps last year - so this year has doubled that! Perhaps we will soon start seeing more grass snakes as a result. Been very few and far between in recent years. Additionally I was doing a bit of clearance in the main pond today and have found two healthy strings of toad spawn - prbably from a wet night two or three nights ago. Probably more there but tricky to see in a large(by garden standards!) pond. Plenty of smooth and palmate newts around but eggs not seen. Chris |
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Chris Davis, Site Administrator
Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme (RETIRED) |
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