Common Frogs Return

After the pond froze yesterday I was really surprised to wake up this morning to a pond full of writhing frogs.

Too many to count at the moment as they dive at the slightest twitch of the curtain, but we often get 30 -40 frogs a year.


Many of these frogs have travelled from outside of our garden.

This one was crossing the pavement outside our house and open its way to our front gate.

Occasionally they pair up even before the reach the pond (which is in our back garden) such as this pair

Any I find on the way to the pond I give a helping hand and will be keeping an eye out over the next few days. Last year I found a couple of frogs who had not managed to reach the pond and died - so I now give them a hand

Sparrowhawk and frog

As I live close to the Downs, kestrel and sparrowhawk frequently fly over our garden. I often watch them spiraling upwards on the thermals. Usually, by the time I manage to grab my camera, its too late and the bird has already become just a dot it the sky. Yesteday I managed to get a photograph as a sparrowhawk circled overhead.

Today it is raining heavily and so there is not really much to see. However as I look out the window at our pond I spot the first frog of the year has arrived. I caught a glimpse of movement yesterday which I thought could have been a frog but could not find it. Today I noticed it quite happily at the surface in the middle of the pond, possibly attracted by the rain drops.

After the rain, I watched the frog sitting just beneath the surface of the pond. This frog probably lives quite nearby, either in our own garden or possibly nextdoor. I have suspected for a while that a few frogs may hibernate underneath the decking. Later in the year we may have 30 - 40 frogs visit the pond, many appear to travel some distance. They suddenly appear coming up the front garden path and make heir way along the side of the house and eventually to the pond.