22 Feb 2026: Frogs spawning
Work started late at today's session at the Pond, because we were treated to a poolside view of at least twenty frogs spawning in a small area at the eastern side of the Pond near the houses. The frogs were very active, the males trying to hang on to their chosen females, with much thrashing about, circles of ripples spreading out, and croaking. Clumps of frog-spawn could be seen in the water. Meanwhile, a pair of mallards were waiting for the fuss to die down, and were later spotted moving in to feast on the spawn.
Update 14th March: Some of the frog spawn contains wriggling tadpoles on the point of hatching. Because the water level in the pond has dropped about 30cm from its maximum, much of the spawn was in danger of drying out, so we shovelled it into deeper water. However, it is normal for there to be far more small tadpoles than can possibly survive into adulthood.
I suspect that the recent increase in temperature might have been the trigger for spawning to begin. One of our group helps out at the Toad Patrol at Poulner, Ringwood, where the toads are also spawning. Toads are much more selective than frogs when it comes to their choice of spawning sites.