Frogs and toads

[TheTecknician]

Have they come out of hibernation in your area yet? I saw a handful in the pond at a nearby country park this afternoon; I heard croaking then saw them doing amphibious shenanigans. It's quite early for this area (West Yorkshire) but I expect there will be more and more this week as the weather warms up.

Yes, they have. I have a pond in my garden and there are masses in there croaking away and also frogspawn appeared over the weekend. We are extreme south west though, usually a few degrees milder than everywhere else.

The ditch brook was frozen over yesterday morning when I went for a walk, so I couldn't see below the surface.

The book I've read says that February is when common frogs emerge from the mud in the ponds and gather in their spawning grounds - usually the same pond, although some species go back to a specific body of water. I suppose the timing varies around the country. I couldn't see any frog spawn today but I guess the creatures have only recently awakened.