With this, seemingly endless, wind and rain it should really be no surprise to encounter odd species in places where you'd least expect; they being displaced by the freakish conditions? So it was today, as I made my way home from work, I stumbled upon a Common Frog. It was rather lethargic and, as it was in the middle of Vine Close, I decided to pick it up and place it in the relative safety of our back garden. Frogs are certainly seen on an annual basis in/around our garden but this individual does seem a little early? We have no pond and, as far as I am aware, neither do my surrounding neighbours. It does, however, seem that Thanet supports a healthy population of these amphibians - long may it continue.
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| Common Frog (Rana temporaria) in the back garden |
The surrounding low lying marshes of the Ash Levels, Chislet, Marshside and Reculver are populated by the introduced Marsh Frog. Not a major problem, but they do seem to be the dominant species all along the Stour Valley - a very good food source for Grey Herons, Bitterns and Marsh Harriers - so their presence isn't without some benefit. I don't spend nearly enough time with this group of our native animals, so it was a very pleasant encounter and, as it was so unexpected, a nice change from complaining about the weather!
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Marsh Frog (Rana ridibunda) on the Ash Levels - April 2009
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I'm not sure what this is (Yes I know it's a frog, but what species?)
Possibly a Marsh Frog - the photo was taken in Turkey - May 2010 |
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