AnnMarie's Blog

Lend me your imagination for a minute or two … I have here a photograph gained at much personal risk to the intrepid photographer (that would be me). It was necessary to approach this beast so close that it may have leapt upon me at any moment, the consequences of which, I dare not imagine. Here lay a creature from the depths of Wales’ Mythology. A creature that has stirred from the heart of the mountain.

What, I hear you say could this beast be? Was it breathing fire? No, but I fear that had I dwelled any longer, I may have joined the scorched grass that surrounded its lair. Without further ado I must post a small token view of my recent encounter:

I think you can see the fiery lava within its eye, surrounding a deep blue-back pool at the eye’s centre; surely your soul could fall deep inside that eye.

Fear not, this beast did not need vanquishing by brave Knight & proud Steed. Read on to hear more and identify …

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It must be spring, just the other day this cheerful reed bunting was singing away.

Reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus)  breed in areas of rush & reed at the side of bogs & lakes. They are noted for singing from tall reeds or from shrub branches that overhang the water; indeed this is exactly what this one was doing. A lot more settled than the nesting Canada geese that I was watching! More on the argumentative geese in a later post.

  Click image for a larger view …

And not far below the Bunting, toads were a courting. The Common Toad (Bufo bufo) spawns in strings rather than the clumps of frog spawn that we find. You can see more about Toads in my post from last year.

 Click image for a larger view …

Nothing like some romance in the reeds

And here’s one I prepared earlier, well not really I haven’t qualified for my broomstick yet! A few more trips to Dayagon Alley are needed

What I really mean to say is that I took these two pictures in early spring but omitted to post them. Spring is a good time to see frogs & toads, they are busy mating or looking for a mate. This couple were certainly very busy:

   Common Toads (Bufo bufo) – mating

I so nearly trod on them whilst looking up for a bird, fancy that, making out on a track in broad daylight, the shock of it. Seriously though, Toads get quite determined, the smaller male climbs onto the female’s back and holds on tight – he doesn’t want any other males to dislodge him before he’s sure that he’s fertilised the eggs. This mating position is called amplexus and as is the case with our happy couple above, sometimes a female is ambushed before she reaches her watery spawning site. Toad spawn is laid in strings, as opposed to the clumps that are typical of frog spawn.

For comparison here is a picture of a common frog:

   Common Frog (Rana temporaria)

I thought he looked rather shocked & lonely and it turned out I was correct … he was the survivor of a young grey heron’s attempts at clearing many frogs from this damp area.

 

Trivia Fact: Did you know that Common Toads can live up to 40 years of age.