Following last week's posting in the old forum here's an update. The weather warmed up last week so it was about 12 celsius in the day and about 8 degrees in the evening. The first frog appeared in my cold dark garden pond on the 5th of Feb but I don't expect any spawn there for a week or so. It's just too cold and deep for them to actually lay spawn. If I drain it to a couple of inches they'll fare better. I saw a few frogs on the roads on the 7th as it had rained all day, Today 9th Feb, I went up the hillside and found at least 80 clumps of spawn in a
shallow pool that is a regular spot. Some of them were very fresh and were probably laid early this morning. As I said, I usually see spawn every year by the 17th of Feb but that's in a different site. Maybe they're even earlier there too this year or maybe this is a local microclimate. Whatever, it's good to have proof that Spring is here.
I'll be looking out for the local newt, Triturus vulgaris, soon.