Frogs abound

This year I have counted 46 frogs in our pond at a single time.  This is the most individual frogs I have seen at any one time in our small pond.  We have lost at least 9 frogs to a magpie, which had a phase of dragging individual frogs out of the pond by their heads.  During the spawning season there are also a few that die of exhaustion, but the local population of frogs seems to be at an all time high this years.

I have spotted some old and familiar frogs with distinct markings that I have observed in the past couple of years, but many seem to be unfamiliar.  The dry March has required me to top up the pond on two occasions so far, to keep the vast amount of frog spawn wet.  The newts are also coming out of hibernation and starting to migrate back into the pond.

Below is a video clip to give some idea of the movement and noise around the pond.

Yesterday and today I was extending a gravel path from the edge of the pond, around the pond and to the garden shed.  The video clip was taken half way through the work and it is clear that the frog activity was not diminished by my gardening work at the pond side.