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frog mortality

goddygoddy Posts: 35

Hello everyone, I am feeling sad, glad, and downright fed up today. Sad because I have found most of my frog population dead at the bottom of my pond and some outside in my borders. This has happened over a couple of months since their arrival. I had a couple of dead ones last year but thought they were probably old ones so normal. I have contacted Frog life and apparently there is a mystery disease, but they were very interested the fact I live in the northwest! Also the spawn is not developing even though I can see the tiny tadpoles! 

I am glad because my garden is now attracting lots of creatures and birds to include  a sparrowhawk and more recently a reed hunting pecking around picking up the crumbs. Wonderful! 

I'm fed up due to a chest complaint sapping my energy, the bad weather up here and consequently boring me out of my head!!  Ah well! I,'ve always got my GW. mag. Have a nice bank hols.

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138
    Sad to hear about the frogs but maybe your report will help in the understanding of the disease. Sorry also to hear that you're under the weather in more ways than one.

    I hope you're feeling better soon. It probably won't help to here that it's nearly 20C in the shade in sunny Norfolk ... Sorry

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • goddygoddy Posts: 35

    Thank you Dovefrom above. I have a friend in Norfolk that I am going to ring in a moment. No doubt she will poke fun at our rainy month too!!!

    aym280 Froglife might be interested in your frog deaths as well. Sounds like the same problem.

  • Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380

    Yeah, me too Goddy, and it's a bit of a downer.  My tads have developed though.  It'll probably kill off my population (5 gone already) so here's hoping some of the froglets stick around.

  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713

    No frogs here yet - is this disease airborne?

  • Steve 309Steve 309 Posts: 2,753

    OH has had toadspawn and then tadpoles every year but they always disappear before getting very far. image    I did find a toad behind the shed today though,image

  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713

    That sounds promising Steve - look out for more - they may be a mate somewhere close by. We don't have toads here only frogs.

  • I dear I do hope it's not a serious problem! My frogs/froglets have decreased over the last couple of years but I've put that down to the fact that I'm making a lot of changes to the old garden and the disruption is having a knock on effect. I hope it just that as they are my best friend when it comes to natural slug control. Maybe I should start keeping a few notes to monitor it image

  • goddygoddy Posts: 35

    That may be a good idea Annie, as for the disease being airborn, I don,t think the experts know. I have contacted Froglife again to give them an update but have yet to hear from them. 

  • goddygoddy Posts: 35

    AHAA! All is not lost!! Have just had a quick look round ny pond. The rain and wind over the last couple of days have swished the spawn aroud a bit to reveal some taddies from the centre and they appear to be growing. Will keep an eye on them.

  • pottiepampottiepam Posts: 203

    Sadly I never get frogs in my pond but plenty of toads. There was lots of spawn earlier but I've yet to see any tadpoles. I'm hoping they are at the bottom of the pond.

    Last year I found a few toads with horrible injuries some dead and some dying. I thought at first it might have been the males getting too amorous but looking on websites, although toads are poisonous, some crows are pecking their livers out.

    Frogs and toads are having a hard time. David Attenborough said that some of the frogs he had filmed were now extinct due to a virus.

     

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