The Austin Frog Pond Says Goodbye

With a heavy heart, I emptied the frog pond this morning.

This pond began as a project back in 2010, after I lost my job.  I carefully nurtured the pond and its inhabitants, learned a lot about frogs, fish and bugs, and learned a lot about myself in the process.

But in a few days, we move to California because I have a new exciting job waiting for me.  So, I give up this Austin frog chapter in my life.

I will miss them so much.  They became an enormous part of my life.

I thought about keeping the pond going, but the pond was dirty and filled with scary crawly things that were probably larvae of something nasty that the pond filter could not keep up with. Besides, the frogs have largely been staying away because the recent rains have made the creeks much more attractive places for young frogs.  One little toad has been singing for a girlfriend, but he hasn't stuck around. Actually, the pond has been pretty bereft of frog life since the drought last summer.   

The erstwhile goldfish, George and Marge have been delighted with their aquarium inside.  They stopped being afraid of coming to the top of the tank, forgetting about the birds of prey that used to hunt for them outside.  They chase each other and play and seem quite joyful.  They are coming to California with us, transported in a bait bucket with a bubbler, with ice packed around them to keep them cool through the desert.  They will travel with us, the 3 large dogs and the noisy cat, Roxanne to our new house in the SF Bay Area.  Hopefully, someday, there will be a frog pond there.

I won't say goodbye just yet, though.  Because I hate goodbyes. I've also collected a wealth of very interesting Austin insect pictures that I'd like to upload the next time I have some time.

My favorite is, of course, the walking stick!  He really likes my car.

Empty Pond.

Our little female Rio Grande Leopard Frog who had been patiently waiting for friends to join her simply disappeared.  I kept checking, but no frog.  I was sad, thinking that something bad may have come of her.  The pond is very quiet with no fish and no frogs.

But last night, I went out to the street to check for mail and heard the unmistakable sound of a male Leopard frog calling for mates.  Well, I'm guessing that she got tired of waiting for suitors and decided to take matters into her own hands. He didn't sound too far away, and with all this recent rain, there is water in the creek and various other places, so she has places to lay her eggs. Hope she finds him.

The videos demonstrates what she (we) heard.  I took both of these last year of an earnest male frog looking for some girlfriends.  One is labeled Gulf Coast Toad, but it is actually a Leopard Frog, I just didn't change the label.

My little lonely pond

Well, you haven't heard much from the frog blog lately, mainly because there really hasn't been much to talk about.  We only have one little resident, a Rio Grande Leopard Frog who I am assuming is female because she is quite silent.  Every night I see her in the pond and she disappears in the morning.  She used to jump for cover when I came to say hi, but she cautiously stays around, watching me.  I was actually able to finally taker her picture:

 I know these aren't very clear, but keep in mind that I am sneaking up on her with a flashlight, trying not to drop the smartphone in the water!  She is very cute.

It seems like she is very lonely, though.  She just hangs out, waiting for friends to join her.  If we are going to have some tadpoles in the pond, she can't continue to be in there by herself.  I am wishing a froggy boyfriend comes to join her soon.

Sadly, I haven't seen a single toad since the worst of the drought.  I am so afraid that we have killed off our beautiful and charming toads.  I miss them so much. 

We have had a good amount of rain in the past couple of months, so the lack of frogs and toads is simply heartbreaking, as in previous years, this wet weather would have frogs and toads jumping all over the place.  Damn drought. 

Happy Belated New Year!

Let's just say Happy Chinese New Year, shall we?  After all, frogs are good luck in Chinese culture and having a frog in your garden is supposed to bring you money.  I am hoping for a bumper crop of frogs this year!

So far, this winter has been so weak, lots of of critters think it's spring.  These butterflies have taken over the  garden and birds are filling the sky and scouring the fields for food.

The pond has been quiet.  When I come out at night, I occasionally see a Leopard Frog leaping to a hiding place or hear a little "plop" which I know is a frog diving for cover. Always just one, maytbe two. No concerts, so I think the frogs hanging out are females.

The frog population needs help around here after this terrible drought.  For my part, I knew I had to get the goldfish out of the pond as they have proved themselves to be voracious frog egg and froglet predators.




 
Over the holiday, I found a giant 75 gallon fish tank on Craigslist for $100.  It is HUGE!!  It sat in the front yard for a month, but about two weeks ago, we finally hauled it inside and set it up.  Putting 75 gallons of bottled water in that thing was quite a chore, but our well water is too salty, so I had to make several 30 mile roundtrip treks to the water store  to fill up our jugs and fill the tank.

Marge

 

George

 

After running the new filter for awhile, I managed to corral the fish into big plastic bags, carried them into the house and set the bags in the tank for the water temperatures to equalize.  Marge wasn't hard to catch, but George was pretty wily.

They are set up next to a window, so they have a nice view.