Hey Blog! This week being the middle week in March, I’ve decided to write about finding signs of spring this week!
On Sunday it was Watch Group. This month we were out by a very deep pond, hanging over the edge of a platform and dipping nets in the water. The reason? We were looking for frog- and toad-spawn, and few other small water-creatures. I’ve already talked about dipping for invertebrates in “Full stream ahead” two weeks ago, but frogs and toads are new. Every spring, amphibians travel out from their winter hiding places, and go to the ponds. There, or even on the way there, they link up with a member of the opposite sex, to mate with as soon as they get to the pond. The female then lays her spawn, which will eventually become tadpoles; and they either stay in the pond until autumn, or travel around the area, until they go back to their winter hiding places. “Amphibian” actually means “has two lives” denoting the land life, and the water life. Most amphibians only spend the spring and some of the summer in ponds, apart from the ones that overwinter on the bottom.
Currently our family are taking part in a “toad patrol”, where we go out in the evening and look on the roads around us for toads and frogs, which we take back and put down next to the pond. If you want to get involved, go here: https://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/toads-on-roads/tormap/ , to find your nearest group. Through them, you can find your nearest toad patrol. However, if you are a prince, I advise not taking part, just in case a witch has transfigured herself into a toad and is planning to turn you into a frog…
At the same session, we heard our first Chiff-chaff of the year. It’s super recognisable, as it repeats its name over and over again. Now we’re hearing them everywhere. The House-martins and Swallows haven’t arrived though, but the Redwings and Fieldfares are leaving. Flowers such as daffodils, snowdrops, and crocuses are fully out, as are a few Hawthorn leaves, but no one knows ‘weather’ to expect a splash or a soak, as the ash and the oak are not yet out. Birds are pairing up, and the blackbirds are taking nesting material into the hedge out the front, so a brood of young is to be expected. We heard a Skylark singing when we went on a walk this morning, and birds usually sing when they are defending their territory, or seeking for a mate, so Skylarks are busy too! Everything seems to be springing into life, and soon it will be sprung!