Complete absence of frogs

baaba maal

I'm a bit puzzled. I am in a rural area of Kildare with cutover bog beside me (cutover 20 years ago and now wet with pools, ditches, heather etc), I have three small ponds and one larger one in my garden. The ponds are in good health with newts in some of them. But- I cannot find a single frog this year ( there were loads around last year, breeding in the ponds and the cutaway bog). I have looked all round the area and I cannot see any frogs or spawn.

I know there was an issue with a number of frogs being found dead on the Curragh (about 15km from me), but wondering if people have any thoughts on this?

Sultan of Swing

baaba maal wrote: »

I'm a bit puzzled. I am in a rural area of Kildare with cutover bog beside me (cutover 20 years ago and now wet with pools, ditches, heather etc), I have three small ponds and one larger one in my garden. The ponds are in good health with newts in some of them. But- I cannot find a single frog this year ( there were loads around last year, breeding in the ponds and the cutaway bog). I have looked all round the area and I cannot see any frogs or spawn.

I know there was an issue with a number of frogs being found dead on the Curragh (about 15km from me), but wondering if people have any thoughts on this?

I live close to the Curragh and didn't hear anything about dead frogs being found.I know around spawning time,literally hundreds of frogs will be seen to cross the roads in the Curragh(I've seen this myself) to reach pools of water and unfortunately become mincemeat under the wheels of cars!

OpenYourEyes

Sultan of Swing wrote: »

I live close to the Curragh and didn't hear anything about dead frogs being found.

http://www.thejournal.ie/frogs-kildare-1332973-Feb2014/

A LAKE IN The Curragh, Kildare, has been tested this morning after hundreds of frog corpses were found around it.
The Herpetological Society of Ireland collected samples from the frogs and the water this morning to send for analysis after obtaining an emergency licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) last night. There were between 250 and 300 dead frogs discovered.

Sultan of Swing

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

http://www.thejournal.ie/frogs-kildare-1332973-Feb2014/[/QUOTE

Thanks OpenYourEyes,
Wow,I was wholly unaware of this and surprised it passed me by!I walk on the Curragh every day of the week and didn't see anything like this.Last year,around this time too,I came across a handful of dead frogs in a similar condition to those shown in the article attached,but assumed they had been predated.You can see quite a few herons at these watering holes and there are quite a few foxes in the area too(I presume foxes will take frogs?).My initial thought was that it was water pollution(there has been a huge increase in fly tipping in the Curragh in recent years),but this appears to have been ruled out by the investigation.I hope it's not the Ranavirus which appears to be slowly spreading through Britain at present.If anyone comes across the findings of this investigation,please keep us posted.

baaba maal

Sorry- yes I saw the above incident referred to in the Leinster Leader. The virus was what was concerning me tbh. I understand that local populations will increase and decrease, but for the area around me (which is very suitable habitat) not to have any frogs at all is concerning.

Sultan of Swing

baaba maal wrote: »

Sorry- yes I saw the above incident referred to in the Leinster Leader. The virus was what was concerning me tbh. I understand that local populations will increase and decrease, but for the area around me (which is very suitable habitat) not to have any frogs at all is concerning.

I can't honestly give you an answer.As you say,the habitat would seem perfect and I don't think we had a particularly harsh winter either.It's strange!I've seen plenty of frog spawn in the usual places I see it every year,so they seem to be flourishing elsewhere.Maybe someone else might have an idea what's going on where you are?

baaba maal

Thanks Sultan- I'll be watching closely next year anyway.

As an aside, the title of the thread strikes me as being a suitable name for a 1990s Australian indie band for some reason:rolleyes:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

There was generally a good count of frogs this spring. Having spawned they have now left the ponds and dispersed.

As for the frog mortalities. The usual reason is water polution.