Frog spawn found in tree
Printed From: Reptiles and Amphibians of the UK
Category: Herpetofauna Native to the UK
Forum Name: Common Frog
Forum Description: Forum for all issues concerning Rana temporaria
URL: http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5039
Printed Date: 18 Apr 2024 at 1:11am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.06 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Frog spawn found in tree
Posted By: Liz Heard
Subject: Frog spawn found in tree
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2016 at 8:02pm
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Hi folks, This was about 1.5 m up from the ground in a damp woodland and approx 50 m or so from the nearest standing water. Remote location so i'm sure it was nothing anthropocentric. There were no signs of any claw marks of an animal climbing up the tree, and nothing further i could detect on the tree limb, nor any sign of disturbance underneath either. Any suggestions whodunnit Will, Caleb or anyone? A heron? Seems a very low branch for one of those, but i'm no bird expert! On upper horizontal branch, centre right of pic: http://s935.photobucket.com/user/benrigsby/media/IMG_6112_zpstyxegwj5.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s935.photobucket.com/user/benrigsby/media/IMG_6113_zps8corloj5.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s935.photobucket.com/user/benrigsby/media/IMG_6114_zpsbwsvqiiz.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  ???? |
Replies:
Posted By: will
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 7:20am
| Hi Ben, I love a mystery! kids? they have been known to chuck frogspawn around. The lack of any entrails / other signs is puzzling - normally there's some viscera left over if the poor frog has been nabbed by a crow, rat etc. Maybe there were some frog remains higher up the tree? (heron might have perched at the top and the egg mass went splat onto the lower bough - a 'tree down' hypothesis, rather than 'ground-up' if you see what I mean?) |
Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 8:06am
 It a tree frogs spawn ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Posted By: Caleb
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 11:32am
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I'm told that herons always eat their prey whole, and regurgitate undigestible bones etc. as pellets like owls do. I'd guess that any frogspawn they might regurgitate wouldn't look as clean as this.
'Tree down' is a good theory, I vote that Ben should climb the tree to look for any frog entrails.
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Posted By: Liz Heard
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 7:26pm
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Thanks guys, 'tree down' may be right - should have thought to look up. D'oh! No chance of returning there tho' Caleb. It's miles away. However, herons certainly regurgitate spawn. I tastefully posted some pics of heron regurgitate from a field trip with HART (the Hereford ARG) a couple of years ago, and there was some among it, along with bits of frog and invertebrate cases. Very good Keith.
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Posted By: AGILIS
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2016 at 6:50am
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Mattter of interest Liz did you try to recycled back to some nearby water? ------------- LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
Posted By: Liz Heard
Date Posted: 06 Mar 2016 at 6:09pm
No, it wasn't any good Keith. 
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Posted By: Caleb
Date Posted: 07 Mar 2016 at 11:39am
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I found your 'heron regurgitate' post, for anyone else that didn't see it, or who wants second helpings: http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/heron-gut-contents-maybe-a-tad-unsavoury-to-some_topic4716_post34717.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/heron-gut-contents-maybe-a-tad-unsavoury-to-some_topic4716_post34717.html |
Posted By: will
Date Posted: 07 Mar 2016 at 2:07pm
| thanks for 'bringing that up' again Caleb... |