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A South East garden

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Suzy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Apr 2018 at 2:25pm
Oh Chubsta how upsetting. I know how you must feel. Any consolation that nature provides for natural disasters in the amount of tadpoles each frog produces. 50% isn't that bad in the scheme of things, sad nevertheless.
Suz
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chubsta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Apr 2018 at 2:21pm
A disaster today - the extremely heavy rain has caused the pond to over flow, a black mass of tadpoles on the grass and loads swimming around on the patio in about an inch of water.

Unfortunately I can't see how I would be able to rescue any of the patio ones so I would guess 50% at least of my tadpoles have now gone...
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Suzy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2018 at 7:36pm
Love the videos. A good number of taddies there. My small pond is completely covered in duckweed and so I can't see any taddies. I cleared an area about the size of a tea tray this afternoon by pushing it back, so that I could see clear water. I watched for a while but only saw a newt, not to say they're not there of course. I still have hundreds of taddies in containers fattening up.
You've got an amazing number of hedgehogs there. I've got a hedgehog or several coming for peanuts each night. What happens is hedgehog first and then later a badger or badgers 
Suz
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chubsta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 2018 at 4:01pm
About 25degrees this afternoon, blazing sunshine and the pond just heaving with life!



And plenty of hog action last night, although the females are in short supply so the boys just end up fighting over the same one each night...




Edited by chubsta - 19 Apr 2018 at 4:13pm
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chubsta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2018 at 8:14pm
Had a quick look in the pond this evening, just in time to see a couple of newts swimming about, very nice to see them.

Do newts lay their eggs at the same time as the frogs spawn or are they later?


Edited by chubsta - 14 Apr 2018 at 8:15pm
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chubsta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Apr 2018 at 12:12pm
Originally posted by Suzy Suzy wrote:

Just heard the sound of a builder's bucket being shoved around outside and put the outside light on (20 yds from house) and there was a hedgehog eating the peanuts! As some on here know I fed badgers in the garden, but they stopped coming a few years ago. In the snow I thought I saw badger prints (hard to ID as snowed over) so started to put nuts out. The nuts went, or partly went, about every other night but now going every night. I put something over them to deter rats and early birds but know that badgers and hedgehogs can shove things away. I did wonder if it was a hedgehog as not all the nuts are taken each night and there is some evidence of the papery casing of peanuts left behind. Badgers hoover everything up! I am pleased to see a hog and hope there are a few about.

Great news, we can always do with more hogs! Hopefully it is a sign of resurgence in your area, it seems like urban gardens are going to be essential to their survival. The hog(s) at our second house which is pretty much in the middle of a town although quite close to overgrown Army firing ranges, have now turned up so we are being eaten out of house and home.

Still waiting on slow-worms but I guess they were very rare in my garden so may not see them, the pond though is heaving with tadpoles so things are looking good.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Apr 2018 at 11:50pm
Just heard the sound of a builder's bucket being shoved around outside and put the outside light on (20 yds from house) and there was a hedgehog eating the peanuts! As some on here know I fed badgers in the garden, but they stopped coming a few years ago. In the snow I thought I saw badger prints (hard to ID as snowed over) so started to put nuts out. The nuts went, or partly went, about every other night but now going every night. I put something over them to deter rats and early birds but know that badgers and hedgehogs can shove things away. I did wonder if it was a hedgehog as not all the nuts are taken each night and there is some evidence of the papery casing of peanuts left behind. Badgers hoover everything up! I am pleased to see a hog and hope there are a few about.
Suz
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chubsta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Apr 2018 at 10:35pm
Pretty much all the spawn has now hatched, Ive always wondered why so much froth is produced, I can't imagine it is due to the physical movement of the tadpoles as they don't seem to do much, do they exude anything that would cause this?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Apr 2018 at 7:31pm
Seen a few one eyed frogs and even snakes. They generally seem to cope, they tend to become easily recognisable favourites, so I've ended up with several records of one eyed individuals that survived over many seasons. 

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chubsta View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2018 at 10:48pm
Found this chap on the path this evening when I went to put some extra food out for the hogs, I thought the left eye was an artefact caused by the flash but when I go a torch to have a better look at him I can see he has a cloudy eye. Apart from that he looks in good condition and was very active so hopefully it won't hold him back.


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