Frogs spawning

There seem to be more frogs than ever spawning in the moat. Given the predators that await the tadpoles it is pleasing to see that numbers of adults returning to spawn seem to be increased this year. The increase if depth of water in the moat has meant that one of the two sites where the frogs spawn is now just an area of water whereas the other is shallower and amongst reeds. In the former the spawning takes place under water and the spawn is resting on the bottom whereas in the reedy area it is all at the surface (pictured). It seems as if the frogs are programmed to return to the areas they spawn in rather than the particular conditions pertaining.

The wagtail has a mate

Yesterday a female wagtail joined the male that has been hanging around for the last few days. She has a grey back compared with the black back of the male (pictured). As I tend not to see pied wagtails outside spring I doubt that they have a nest site very close so maybe our lawn is just an attractive open site for choosing a mate??

Spring activity

There are lots of signs of Spring. There is some serious contention on the mallard mating front for one thing. A pair of mallard have been hanging around together for a few weeks but a second male is trying to move in and it's starting to get physical. The battle takes place on the water, on land and in the air. It has degenerated into violence but the duck is very clear about her preference. When she is with her chosen drake she swims closely behind him darting her head diagonally and making a murmuring sort of noise. The frogs are back spawning for another thing. You can hear them purring - it sounds just like a cat.... Tawny owls have also been around in the last few days although I am not sure whether that is a feature of Spring. There has also been a pied wagtail around - they do seem to appear in March and April but are not often seen here at other times. There has also been some frequent buzzard visits in the last week but the resident crows generally escort them from the area pretty quickly.