Chicken bald back

[missuscluck]

So upset and cried. Had a mooch about in the garden this afternoon and it looks like the severe weather has killed all of the frogs in our pond. Fished out 20 or so frogs today, big and small. Spotted one floating on the top and took a closer look and it was full of them.

 

I really didnt think much about them in the freeze, just assumed they would make their own way. I feel terrible now and wonder if I could have done more. Going to drain the whole pond tommorow hopefully and start afresh as Im really hoping we have a live one hopping about that might come back and lay.

 

I feel draining the pond will be a grim task. Today was bad enough.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Guest

[Snowy]

Noooooo! Don't fish them out! Are you sure they were dead? They rest on the bottom through the winter and look dead (can't remember whether it's the males or females that do this) it's like a hibernation, then in spring they come round and start hopping about again. Perhaps the floater was dead, but I'd leave the others

[missuscluck]

Thanks Cathy but they ones we took out were definatly dead. They were all floating about and not at the bottom of the pond and were all a very peculiar colour. Im thinking this is to do with them having been frozen. I will procced with caution though when I have another look tommorow.

[chelsea]

Aww, sorry to hear it. Must have been upsetting to see.

[Snowy]

What a shame

[missuscluck]

We have been out today and partialy drained the pond and removed some more 'floaters' and we have found 3 large happy healthy froggies. Just about to refill with water from the water butt.

 

Had such a rubbish day yesterday. Had to empty out 3 hives full of dead bees and then found the pond looking like a scene from a horror movie. Its only a small pond about 1m x 2m. It was rather full of frogs. Perhaps its a bit of natural selection and survival of the fittest.

 

Feeling nature is wonderfull again today.

 

Edited for spelling. Ooops!

[bellekatz]

Glad that you had some survivors

[Lesley]

Glad you had some live frogs Lynda - but shame about the bees

[docsquid]

We are members of the Pond Conservation Trust, and they recently sent round a survey about dead fish and amphibians after lots of reports of problems following the recent freeze. We haven't had any dead frogs in any of our ponds (one a home, six in another location), but we do have overhanging vegetation that kept part of the pond unfrozen, and at the other location, we have flow going through the ponds that kept a small area unfrozen.

 

But it looks like it has been a widespread problem, from the Pond Conservation Trust circulars.

 

PS Sorry about your bees.