March 2015
2nd March 2015
We paid a short visit to the SQ this morning, hoping for some further amphibian observations, but, overall, we were rather disappointed. There was some movement in the Bowl, and some clucking sounds in Bowl and RB1, but the only amph I was able to photograph was an Agile Frog, underwater, near to the Coffee Pool. I found the SQ to be rather cold today, and we didn't stay too long. There had been a few glimpses of sun earlier, but not while we were on-site.
3rd March 2015
We were tempted back the the SQ again today by the sunshine and blue sky that was missing yesterday. Even so, there was still quite a strong, cold wind blowing across the site. We discovered about 12 spawn clumps, probably of Agile Frogs, and 2 Smooth Newt females were seen (one in The Bowl, the other in Rock Bath 1). About 7 male Agile Frogs were seen underwater, and ...... as we walked towards RB1, it seemed like a large brown leaf had blown across the path in front of me. Further investigation revealed that it was a heavily gravid female frog ... but, which species? It looks very much like a Common Frog to me. I didn't perform the 'leg length test', as I didn't wish to cause her stress ahead of breeding. I will consult an expert 'froggie friend', regarding this.
10th March 2015
I'd watched 2 sunny days go by and could stand it no more ! So, I wrapped-up warmly - too warmly, in fact - and off we went to the SQ, in search of amphibians ! A couple of butterflies were sighted in silhouette, but there was no chance to identify them. As expected, the water in The Bowl was retreating and we needed to rescue some clumps of Agile Frog spawn before they became dry. Teréz scooped each clump into a carrier bag, and I transferred the precious cargo to deeper water. Unless we get a lot more rain, our efforts may not do any good, but at least we tried. There must be about 100 clumps of Agile spawn at the site, and several male Agiles were in The Bowl and RB1... some of them clucking. One male Smooth Newt was seen, plus one fairly young Edible Frog. One Fire-bellied Toad was photographed, and we heard 3 or 4 others calling.
19th March 2015
This was the first time I'd left the house for several days, and although not completely free of the dreaded flu, I really needed to check the SQ, and to get some fresh air. As expected, the water levels had dropped as we've had several rain-free days. Many clumps of Agile Frog spawn were out of the water, but I couldn't save them - the job was too big. I walked through part of the reed bed using my wellies, and there were many more clumps in the deeper water to be found there. Some Agile males were clucking, but no Fire-bellied Toads were heard or seen. Likewise, no newts were seen. Two Green Lizards were observed on the rim of the SQ: a juvenile, and an adult female. Rain is forecast for the weekend, but, as always, we needs LOTS of rain to make any difference. I fear that 2015 will be another catastrophic year for amphibians in the SQ.
23rd March 2015
No chance to visit the SQ over the weekend, and as the forecast rain didn't materialise, I feared the worst. I wasn't wrong: there were dried-up clumps of Agile Frog spawn over most of The Bowl. The Coffee Pool was now very small. I'd brought some collection buckets with me, and immediately set to work, scooping-up clumps of spawn that were still moist, and transferring them to Rock Bath 1. I moved about 30 clumps (2 bucket-loads!) from The Bowl to RB1, and then, at the end, brought 3 clumps home to the garden pond. This year, there are no frogs in the pond, but there is Smooth Newt activity, so any tadpoles that survive will provide food for the newts. Whilst inside the SQ Bowl, I heard two Fire-bellied Toads 'piping', and a few Agile Frogs 'clucking'. Three adult Green Lizards and one juvenile were either seen or 'detected', but all saw me before I saw them, so no photos were obtained ! One of the adults ran, panic-stricken, into the reedbed, employing a rapid walking-on-water technique !