Photography is more challenging now the froglets are on the move. They are very small (the body is about a centimetre long and only about 3 or 4 millimetres wide) and they spend much of the time under rocks and pebbles or in the hiding places I’ve left around the pond. And when they’re out and about they are very quick, sometimes jumping many times their own length in an instant, which isn’t surprising given the length of their stretched out legs compared to their body.
On the other hand, if I get close enough with my phone to record them doing something interesting, like jumping and scrabbling over pebbles, they stay very still and watchful, barely ever blinking (I saw one blink but wasn’t quick enough to record it). If they are facing me, they seem to stare me out until I give up. Given that I’m balancing on a stepping stone, trying not to tread on anything, with my arm stretched out to get close enough, I usually lose the contest.
Still, I’ve managed to get some interesting footage. As you view the clips, bear in mind that the froglets look big but I’m using magnification. That’s why it’s a little shaky at times. And here are a few things to look out for:
1) It’s true, frogs do have very wide mouths. See one froglet give me a nice smile.
2) Spot the flash of a long tongue as a froglet captures a meal. Once the tadpole has morphed into a froglet it becomes entirely carnivorous. Which could be why the pond is becoming murky again if there aren’t so many herbivores to clean up the algae.
3) Notice that the tails are mostly absorbed into the body now. There’s just a bump on the bottom where the tails used to be. When the froglets first emerge from the pond, they still have the full tail and they live off this until it’s gone and then they have to begin hunting in earnest.
While waiting for the tiny froglets to emerge, I also took some pictures around the pond of plants and other wildlife and the hidey house…
FROG BLOG 