Where have all the frogs gone?

[Broch]

Every year, without fail, mid-February our pond is thrashing with frogs mating. The noise can be heard from our bedroom at night - the deep croaking goes on non-stop for a few days.

But, not this year - not a single frog has ventured to the pond!

Is this unique or have others experienced the same?

 

[TeeDee]

Every year, without fail, mid-February our pond is thrashing with frogs mating. The noise can be heard from our bedroom at night - the deep croaking goes on non-stop for a few days.

But, not this year - not a single frog has ventured to the pond!

Is this unique or have others experienced the same?

I've not seen a single frog so far this year.

 

[Wander]

I would have thought it's still a little early for amphibians.
Although there's been no snow (not down here, anyway), the temperature has still been cold - rarely going into double figures.
I remember last year was a mild February and started seeing snakes from mid-February. But it's more or less stayed below 10degrees all February so I don't think we'll be so lucky this year.
So maybe the cool weather has meant the frogs are having a lay in?

 

[FerlasDave]

It’s definitely been a more inconsistent year this year in terms of temperature, either in double figures or low singles. (At least up here anyway) I wonder if that’s disturbed any hibernation cycles at all.

@JonathanD Might have some answers?

 

[Toddy]

None appearing here either. It's a bit early for them for us yet though.
They appear in my ponds and seem happy to snuggle under the black weedcontrol fabric covered compost pile in the corner of the fences. It's warm and moist there, and there are always slugs aplenty for them.
Newts don't seem to be going wandering yet either....so I can shift planters around without double checking they're not hiding underneath them

M

 

[Billy-o]

I understand there's a new shipbuilding contracts in Newport. Probably gone there.

They need rivetters.

 

[Wander]

I'm talking out of my backside.
Just been for a walk.
And what do I see sitting on a pile of flints? An adder!
Come on, you frogs! Get yer bloody fingers out! You're letting the side down.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

They're not out here yet either, which they usually are by the end of feb but it has been b****y freezing with hard night frosts, it's hardly surprising. It's the night temps that matter though, a couple of days with day time temperatures 12 °C or over with mild nights & they'll be out making their way to their spawning sites. Looking at the medium term weather forecast, we're still going to have to wait a while.

 

[nigelp]

I heard loads of amphibious shagging on Dartmoor the week before last. Woke up to see lots of ‘spawn’.

 

[Broch]

Interesting - but, to be honest, it's been very mild here for February. We've had very little frost and I know we've had the frogs spawning in mid February in previous, much colder, years.

I'm wondering if they naturally don't try spawning in torrential flood conditions when the spawn could be carried out into far less suitable water.

Still time I suppose; we'll see.

 

[swyn]

Found a newt last Saturday and he/she went into our mini pond amphibian area. No frogs as yet.
S

 

[Robson Valley]

Pay attention and report this if you can. We have a fungus which seems to be selectively killing our leopard frogs. The only ones of any native size. We get tens of thousands of cute little (15mm) black peeper-frogs and that's all for now.

 

[JonathanD]

We have a fungus that is wiping out our frogs too. With mild winters and with warm spells throughout the season, fewer and fewer are surviving into Spring. It’s a problem.

 

[cbrdave]

We haven't seen or heard them but we have spawn in our pond, nowhere near as much as past years though.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Interesting - but, to be honest, it's been very mild here for February. We've had very little frost and I know we've had the frogs spawning in mid February in previous, much colder, years.

I'm wondering if they naturally don't try spawning in torrential flood conditions when the spawn could be carried out into far less suitable water.

Still time I suppose; we'll see.

Common frogs often spawn in any bit of water, from ditches to puddles so if you have flood conditions, prehaps they have already spawned in the flood water rather than their usual spot.

 

[Riven]

Just let my dogs out in the rain and a frog was sitting on the doorstep.
They are out there people.

 

[FerlasDave]

Took a group mining today… all around the mine entrance was a giant frog orgy, and lot of spawn. Maybe the ambient temperature from the mine helped.

 

[bearbait]

I looked at a number of pools at 1,000'+ in Radnorshire, N of the Brecon Beacons National Park, today. In only two did I find any frogspawn, the two larger pools. There was a small amount in one, and quite a decent quantity (as far as I can remember from the past) in the largest pool (approx. 0.25 Ha / 0.6 acres). Some spawn looked relatively new as the "eggs" hadn't expanded much yet in the water. Despite this I saw not one frog, even after carefully and gently agitating the waters and the pool bed with my hiking pole. And even my size 10s stomping on the bank didn't wake them!

 

[Broch]

Panic over; you can all sleep tonight

I took the dog out late last night and could hear croaking, so I wandered down to the pond. There must have been at least 30 white throats and pairs of beady eyes staring at my torch, then a boiling of the water and all gone under.

This morning there are still loads of frogs thrashing around and great mounds of frog spawn.

They're about 2 weeks later than normal so maybe it was the heavy rain that put them off; too little data to be conclusive unfortunately.

Edit: Arrgh.. I've just checked my records and they have been this late before! What I didn't record then was the weather

 

[Wander]

Phew!
Well done those amphibians.
Blimey riley - you've had us all through the emotional wringer fretting about those little chaps.
Glad they came good in the end.
Finally I can relax and get a good night's sleep...