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Rana T. Movements 2006 - So far....: |
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TVFrog Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 No. of posts: 31  View other posts by TVFrog |
Posted: 05 Feb 2006 Hi, Anyone spotted Frog movements in S/SE England yet? According to the Phenology website Cornwall/Devon are now well underway. Nothing much happening in the Windsor area at the mo'- ditto my back garden pond - but I did spot 2 young male adults in/around the pond in October '05 - looking for hibernation spots I assume... How mild does it have to stay and over what period before RT starts to move? Cheers, Mark. |
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Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth |
Posted: 05 Feb 2006 I am in Worthing on the south coast. I had a couple of male RT calling in the mild spell in mid-January - nothing further yet. I have never worked out the relationship to weather conditions. Like others I have had them appear in cold frosty conditions in February. But, no sign of any since that january hiccup. Typically down here, they appear around early to mid-february and spawn mid to late february. Last year, with the sudden cold spell from mid-february to mid-march I had spawning in mid-february, then a cessation of activity (just odd sightings) and further spawning in March! Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 06 Feb 2006 Here in East Devon we've been locked into some very cold weather for over a week. After a hard frost yesterday morning we had a warm sunny day. My pond still has some ice on but it is a bit milder today. The ground had been frozen for over a week with daytime temps. hovering around zero or below. I would think here it would need to warm up a bit for any movements of frogs. Several of us locally have ponds so I'll let you know if any sightings. Suz |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369  View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 06 Feb 2006
I had four adult frogs in my small pond - most likely male frogs keeping out of the cold air - they were under water and werent moving much even when the torch was placed on them I am planning to count the amount of spawn this year - I will have three years worth of counts - last year the spawning was over a 2 week period in March while in 2004 the spawning started in February and peaked in a similar weekend date to 2005. I expect a crash in numbers soon as there has been no recruitment due to newt predation! JC Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369 View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 07 Feb 2006
Last night I had 5 frogs in my garden pond (Southampton) - two pairs in amplexus and one single adult - temperature ranges between 4 to 6 C at 10.15pm I will have to get my datalogger set up so I can monitor the air/water temperature over the spawning period - I think spawning will start in February this year Regards
JC PS I will get some photos up here soon Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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TVFrog Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 No. of posts: 31 View other posts by TVFrog |
Posted: 09 Feb 2006 Hi JC, Thanks for the update - yes, get some pics - perhaps things will now start to happen further inland/home counties.... Cheers, M. |
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TVFrog Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 No. of posts: 31 View other posts by TVFrog |
Posted: 09 Feb 2006 [QUOTE=Suzi] Here in East Devon we've been locked into some very cold weather for over a week. After a hard frost yesterday morning we had a warm sunny day. My pond still has some ice on but it is a bit milder today. The ground had been frozen for over a week with daytime temps. hovering around zero or below. I would think here it would need to warm up a bit for any movements of frogs. Several of us locally have ponds so I'll let you know if any sightings.[/QUOTE] Hi Suzi, Have you had activity in your pond in prev. years? Yes - let us know what happens, ATB, M. |
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Jerry Senior Member Joined: 08 Jan 2005 No. of posts: 66 View other posts by Jerry |
Posted: 09 Feb 2006 Hi, there is three clumps of spawn in our pond today. although one clump already looks like the frost has got it! ( Ferndown dorset) jerry |
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Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi |
Posted: 09 Feb 2006 TV, no it is a new pond from last September. However I think a frog is hibernating in there in the mud. Pond frozen again this morning and then again by early evening today. I am keeping an eye out! Suz |
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Mick Member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 184 View other posts by Mick |
Posted: 12 Feb 2006 As i've put in a thread on Reporting, conditions in many parts of the country might be almost ideal for a good amount of amphibian activity from now, sunday evening (10c & damp here in Banbury), & maybe for the next couple of evenings. We'll see, but it's lookin' a bit promising!  |
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mikebrown Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 95  View other posts by mikebrown |
Posted: 12 Feb 2006 Just to repeat the note I've put under Reporting, There has been a very sudden appearance of about 15 - 20 Common Frogs in and around my garden pond today, in Liverpool, with plenty of croaking, chasing and pairing. This is no doubt due to the abrubt change in the weather, from a prolonged spell of relatively cold and dry, to mild and wet all day. It is quite normal for the frogs to start breeding in early February here, but it is usually a fairly spasmodic affair in the early weeks. Mike Brown Mike Brown Merseyside ARG |
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Nephrurus Member Joined: 14 Feb 2006 No. of posts: 1 View other posts by Nephrurus |
Posted: 14 Feb 2006 Hello. Just to report the first couple of clutches of Rana temporaria spawn in my pond in Southampton. Glad to see the mild weather. |
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TVFrog Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 No. of posts: 31 View other posts by TVFrog |
Posted: 16 Feb 2006 Last night - 9c temp - Windsor, went out about 9:30pm and there was a lovely looking solitary young adult male, surfaced, looking up at me in the torchlight - then submerged back down to the depths. Reckon he had overwintered in there - he looked familiar from last autumn..... Gone cold again here today - 1c - will have put a stop to things methinks. Cheers, M. |
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TVFrog Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 No. of posts: 31 View other posts by TVFrog |
Posted: 20 Feb 2006 [QUOTE=mikebrown] Just to repeat the note I've put under Reporting, There has been a very sudden appearance of about 15 - 20 Common Frogs in and around my garden pond today, in Liverpool,áwith plenty of croaking, chasing and pairing. This is no doubt due to the abrubt change in the weather, from a prolonged spell of relatively cold and dry, to mildáandáwet all day. It is quite normal for the frogs to start breeding in early February here, but it is usually a fairly spasmodic affair in the early weeks. Mike Brown [/QUOTE]Hi Mike, Interesting to hear such activity so early and so far north - but you are close to the coast and from the Phenology maps there seems to be a correlation between W/SW coast and the first sightings. Maybe it needs only 1 or 2 degrees up to make a difference? - Despite the fact that I'm so much further south than you - being further inland might mean 1 - 2 deg. cooler? Anyway - since the w/e and today much colder again - no activity and I checked a number of ponds in the Windsor area..... Cheers, M. |
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mikebrown Senior Member Joined: 30 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 95 View other posts by mikebrown |
Posted: 20 Feb 2006 Hi, Mark, I actually come from very close to your area (in South Bucks), and I do notice a distinct difference in Winter temperatures up here in Merseyside, especially night temperatures. severe frosts are a rarity here, with even clear nights like at present only having min. temps of about -1C. I think that is what makes Common Frog activity much earlier up here. Activity has certainly continued over the weekend in brilliant sunny weather. I believe it has been cold and wet where you live! When I lived down there I used to find Slow-worms and Common Lizards out from late February though, if the weather was sunny then. Cheers, Mike Brown Cheers, Mike Brown Mike Brown Merseyside ARG |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 21 Feb 2006 [QUOTE=TVFrog] there seems to be a correlation between W/SW coast and the first sightings. Maybe it needs only 1 or 2 degrees up to make a difference? - [/QUOTE] Maxwell Savage did loads of work on frog spawning dates in the 1930s (published in his book 'The ecology and life history of the common frog'), and found that lots of factors influence the date of spawning- temperature, sunlight and rainfall were the most important, I think. The map below is based on one from his book, and shows the observed spawning dates over the country in the 1930s. 
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369 View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 21 Feb 2006
The peak spawning last year was put out of kilter by the sudden cold weather - my location - Eastleigh seems to be Mar 1st to Mar 10th according to the map - interesting in 2004 the peak was 13th and 14th March - while last year it was over the period a week or so later - 16th March to 19th March I havent seen any spawn yet - activity has gone to 0 over the last few days - Jon Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
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Matt Harris Senior Member Joined: 03 Jun 2003 No. of posts: 196 View other posts by Matt Harris |
Posted: 22 Feb 2006 The map above seems to predict quite accurately the spawning dates here in SE Wales of ther last 3 years. In 2004 and 2005, and I suspect this year as well, the spawning season has been interrupted by a cold snap, resulting in freshly-laid spawn next to spawn up to a month old. Gwent Amphibian and Reptile Group (GARG) |
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Mick Member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 No. of posts: 184 View other posts by Mick |
Posted: 22 Feb 2006 Well done, Caleb, that's certainly interesting. I wonder just how vast (number of sites) & balanced that survey really was though & how many years of the 1930's it actually covered. On first impression it certainly looks a reasonably accurate & decent survey, considering what communications & data gathering were like way back then. With such beauties as the internet nowadays & the ever growing amateur & pro' wildlife interest in this country, that map can obviously be thoroughly fine tuned now. I've been logging local spawning dates (well,..mainly just of my garden) for around 12-13y'rs now, which i'll continue to do. With global warming, or whatever, all that kind of local wildlife data should hopefully prove to be really useful info' to periodically hand in. On the one hand, i'm tempted to not consider that old map that seriously for this day'n'age, but on the other hand, i also (similarly to Matt) find it correlates pretty well with spawning times of where i am (Banbury). As i said though, interesting.  |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448 View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 24 Feb 2006 The map's based on the Royal Meteorological Society's annual data from 1926 on. Savage was of the opinion that there was enough data when he published his book (1958, I think) to get a decent picture of spawning times, and that analysis was more important than collecting further data. The UK Phenology Network say that their focus is now on determining how various occurences change from year to year, rather than determining their timing throughout the UK. They have a live map of this years spawn times, if anyone's not seen it. Anyone interested in the UK amphibians should really read Savage's book, it makes loads of interesting points on amphibians in general, as well as those relating to the common frog. I'm pretty sure it's out of print now, but there are plenty of second-hand copies around. |
- Rana T. Movements 2006 - So far.... |