no toads again :(

Yet another spring has come with no toads making babies in my pond. What
do I have to do to get some? I can't find anyone around me who has
tadpoles to spare.


Alan

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> Yet another spring has come with no toads making babies in my pond. *What
> do I have to do to get some?

You've had them before?
If so, and they are not coming back, what has
changed in, and around your pond, that may
be putting them off?

You can always try and adopt some eggs from
a local pond. The Fish and Wildlife people, in my
state, told me they don't mind adoption of a few
critters for a home pond.

Probably too late this year but you might check with
some high school biology teachers next year. Some
classes make a project of getting out and mucking
around in a local pond or waterway. That might be
an option.

k :-)

On Tue, 29 May 2007 16:47:36 CST, wrote:

>Yet another spring has come with no toads making babies in my pond. What
>do I have to do to get some? I can't find anyone around me who has
>tadpoles to spare.

Where are you Alan?

This must not be a good year for toads. I've noticed the mating's are
not as loud, there seems to be fewer males calling this year and I
haven't seen as many tadpoles for some reason. Very likely because I
haven't seen rain in about 45 days. Unusual for me this time of year
and the toads like to mate every time it rains.

Regards,

Hal

"Hal" <> wrote in message
news:...
> This must not be a good year for toads. I've noticed the mating's are
> not as loud, there seems to be fewer males calling this year and I
> haven't seen as many tadpoles for some reason. Very likely because I
> haven't seen rain in about 45 days. Unusual for me this time of year
> and the toads like to mate every time it rains.
=======================
We've only had about 3" of rain in the past 6, 7 weeks or so. We've seen a
few toads and a couple of bullfrogs but for the most part our usually very
VERY noisy ponds are quiet after sundown. That's quite unusual for us. Our
neighbor's stock pond is almost dried up and no frogs calling from there
either. We have only one kind of toad here but a nice variety of frogs. I
hope we didn't lose them in that abnormal freeze we had last month.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
ISP: Hughes.net
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>

On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:20:42 CST, "Reel McKoi"
<silver-> wrote:

>
>"Hal" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> This must not be a good year for toads. I've noticed the mating's are
>> not as loud, there seems to be fewer males calling this year and I
>> haven't seen as many tadpoles for some reason. Very likely because I
>> haven't seen rain in about 45 days. Unusual for me this time of year
>> and the toads like to mate every time it rains.
>=======================
>We've only had about 3" of rain in the past 6, 7 weeks or so. We've seen a
>few toads and a couple of bullfrogs but for the most part our usually very
>VERY noisy ponds are quiet after sundown. That's quite unusual for us. Our
>neighbor's stock pond is almost dried up and no frogs calling from there
>either. We have only one kind of toad here but a nice variety of frogs. I
>hope we didn't lose them in that abnormal freeze we had last month.

That would be our total for the past 6 months or so. And this is
Florida! The pond in front is just about dried up, the pond by the
house only has water in it because I run a hose in it. The pond in
back still has quite a bit of water in it, but even it is lower. I
know for sure that the back pond has some kind of spring feeding it,
otherwise it surely would have dried out by now. I haven't the
foggiest where it gets its water from though, because I'm on some of
the highest elevation in the area. But I haven't seen (or heard) near
the frogs or toads this year. Even the number of frogs that sit on my
windows in the evenings (to catch bugs attracted by the light) are
far, far fewer in number. I hope it is just the lack of rain, and not
something else.
--
Galen Hekhuis
I have no idea what happened, but I assure you it was all proper.

Over on koishack some of the watergardeners
have been saying the same thing.

k :-)

"Hal" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Tue, 29 May 2007 16:47:36 CST, wrote:
>
>>Yet another spring has come with no toads making babies in my pond.
>>What
>>do I have to do to get some? I can't find anyone around me who has
>>tadpoles to spare.
>
> Where are you Alan?
>
> This must not be a good year for toads. I've noticed the mating's
> are
> not as loud, there seems to be fewer males calling this year and I
> haven't seen as many tadpoles for some reason. Very likely because
> I
> haven't seen rain in about 45 days. Unusual for me this time of
> year
> and the toads like to mate every time it rains.
>
> Regards,
>
> Hal

We're seeing toads around here - Southcentral
TX (San Antonio area) but we've also had
a lot of rain and cooler temps.

Gail

"Galen Hekhuis" <> wrote in message
news:...
> That would be our total for the past 6 months or so. And this is
> Florida! The pond in front is just about dried up, the pond by the
> house only has water in it because I run a hose in it. The pond in
> back still has quite a bit of water in it, but even it is lower. I
> know for sure that the back pond has some kind of spring feeding it,
> otherwise it surely would have dried out by now. I haven't the
> foggiest where it gets its water from though, because I'm on some of
> the highest elevation in the area. But I haven't seen (or heard) near
> the frogs or toads this year. Even the number of frogs that sit on my
> windows in the evenings (to catch bugs attracted by the light) are
> far, far fewer in number. I hope it is just the lack of rain, and not
> something else.
=================================
It seems widespread then, doesn't it? That's troubling. Right now in a
normal year the sound of frogs can reach the point where I close the window
to talk on the phone. The 2 ponds are close to the front of the house. As
I type this it's SILENT out there. This year there are no tree frogs on the
windows or the front porch.

Spawning activity is half-hearted this year. The goldfish didn't spawn at
all and only one pond's koi spawned. I wonder if Global Warming or that
severe abnormal freeze has anything to do with it......?!!?!?!?
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
ISP: Hughes.net
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>

Galen Hekhuis wrote:

> On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:20:42 CST, "Reel McKoi"
> <silver-> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Hal" <> wrote in message
>>news:. ..
>>> This must not be a good year for toads. I've noticed the mating's are
>>> not as loud, there seems to be fewer males calling this year and I
>>> haven't seen as many tadpoles for some reason. Very likely because I
>>> haven't seen rain in about 45 days. Unusual for me this time of year
>>> and the toads like to mate every time it rains.
>>=======================
>>We've only had about 3" of rain in the past 6, 7 weeks or so. We've seen
>>a few toads and a couple of bullfrogs but for the most part our usually
>>very
>>VERY noisy ponds are quiet after sundown. That's quite unusual for us.
>>Our neighbor's stock pond is almost dried up and no frogs calling from
>>there
>>either. We have only one kind of toad here but a nice variety of frogs.
>>I hope we didn't lose them in that abnormal freeze we had last month.
>
> That would be our total for the past 6 months or so. And this is
> Florida!

I'd confirm this theory from the opposite side. While we had a dry winter
and early Spring, once things started to warm up enough to get toads (and
spring peepers) we got rain too, and our peepers and toads are making like
very noisy rabbits :-)
--
derek
- Unless otherwise noted, I speak for myself, not rec.ponds.moderated
moderators.

On Wed, 30 May 2007 16:20:42 CST, "Reel McKoi"
<silver-> wrote:

>We've only had about 3" of rain in the past 6, 7 weeks or so. We've seen a
>few toads and a couple of bullfrogs but for the most part our usually very
>VERY noisy ponds are quiet after sundown. That's quite unusual for us. Our
>neighbor's stock pond is almost dried up and no frogs calling from there
>either. We have only one kind of toad here but a nice variety of frogs. I
>hope we didn't lose them in that abnormal freeze we had last month.

We've been watching the rain on radar coming up from Alabama, skirting
Atlanta and wetting Tennessee and the Carolina's, but it is pretty dry
in Middle Georgia.

I've seen bullfrog droppings, but no frogs of any kind, just toads and
few of them.

Regards,

Hal