Spawn

Kate Watts · #1 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 03:59 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm new here!

I've just been out to check on my pond and see two balls of spawn, one looks like typical frogspawn but the other has significantly smaller amounts of jelly surrounding the eggs. I was thinking it might be newt spawn but read on here they lay single eggs whereas this is a ball of eggs. I did see a small newt in the pond yesterday so that was what made me think it could be newts. Could it just be two different types of frog?

But also it seems too early for spawn? I'm really hoping it survives and hatches as I lost about 20 frogs with the ice this winter. It's a large pond (about 12'x18') and I couldn't crack the ice in December as it was too thick.

Kate.

werdnal · #2 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 04:06 PM

Welcome!

Read some of the other posts in this section and you will see there is already a lot of spawn around the country. We are in Cornwall and have had some as December before, but this year wasn't quite so early. Our spawn has already hatched and we have hundreds of tiny tadpoles in the pond now.

The spawn varies from frog to frog, but toads are also laying now too. Toad spawn tends to be less tightly bunched, as it is actually laid in strings, but they doo coil around and look like clumps of frog spawn, so maybe that is what you have seen.

Littlesparrow · #3 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 04:18 PM

when the frog spawn is first laid it is quite small and expands over the next couple of days you could have seen a new batch.

Kate Watts · #4 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 05:07 PM

Thanks! I imagine that is what it is, newly laid. I'm learning quite a lot from this forum already.

Now I have another question... I lost what appears to be all of my fish during the cold winter and from a visiting heron. I have tried to get rid of the heron using a plastic quite realistic looking heron but so far it has the opposite effect and the real heron is visiting the pond daily. I'm reluctant to restock with fish when it appears they will just feed the heron, so am wondering whether it would be better to have the pond without fish, but will there be enough going on in the pond without fish? I mean from an interest/observational viewpoint? I do have frogs in the pond during the year but they're not as visible as the fish and I'm thinking I will miss watching and feeding the fish and seeing the babies.

I'd welcome any suggestions or comments.

Thanks, Kate.

Kayleigh · #5 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 05:12 PM

Hi and welcome, your pond will be richer in wildlife from having no fish than with..

JackintheGreen · #6 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 06:19 PM

Could I borrow your heron? There are about 200 little carp (goldfish) in my pond at the moment. They'll just eat all the little taddies before they get properly mobile.

Littlesparrow · #7 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 06:50 PM

My fish pond friend has more than one pond, one with fish and a couple without, he does have a big garden though. I think the only way to keep out the heron is to put a net across it.

Kayleigh · #8 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Littlesparrow

My fish pond friend has more than one pond, one with fish and a couple without, he does have a big garden though. I think the only way to keep out the heron is to put a net across it.

The best way is put wires round and over the pond..
Here is more info..
The RSPB: Advice: Heron deterrents

Kate Watts · #9 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 07:16 PM

I don't want to cover the pond for lots of reasons so maybe I will try a year without fish and see how active the pond is with wildlife. Is other wildlife safe from the heron?

RosieB · #10 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 07:19 PM

I had a heron strike a few years ago, damn thing! I live in the middle of a housing estate

but it still found my pond. I have 2 ponds, one has no fish which the frogs and toads use, also one with fish, but this has some wire over the top of it, to keep herons away, also cats. Since then I have had no problems so far.