Slow Progress

Peter and I (well Peter actually but I was there in my scully rups) installed the drain yesterday. The water flowed away beautifully but it is pooling exactly where the actually pond is going to installed. I'm happy about that. There is no sign of frogs breeding yet, just chatting each other up with their singing still. I believe August is when the action begins so I have to get the pond and bog in by then. I'm off to Bunnings tonight to price up a proper pond liner (will look elsewhere on the weekend as Bunnings is often pricier than the smaller nurseries). I'm thinking I'll just use concrete and pepples to create the bog part. I also need to get stones to vary the depth in the pond and make it safe.
Ally says she may donate a tree fern and there are a couple of native nurseries near by.
We still have our froggy friend chirping away in the garden and it sounds like a friend (hopefully a mate) may have joined him/her.
That's all for today

What Kind of Frog is Dee?

Red-eyed tree frogs come from the warm and humid rain forests of Costa Rica in Central America. Some believe that their red eyes are a form of protection called "startle coloration". These frogs are very mellow during the day, and tend to be active only at night, so if the frog is awakened in the daytime, as might happen if a predator chanced upon it despite its excellent day time camouflage, the eyes pop abruptly open, hopefully startling the predator. This species tends to do better in a community of other red eyed tree frogs.

What kind of Frog are you?

What Kind of Frog is Aaron?

Argentinian Horned frogs seem to have been designed for the sole purpose of eating as much as possible. They appear to consist of two main parts: a mouth and a stomach. This is probably where they got the nickname "PacMan". Their needs are fairly simple, a warm habitat in a simple plastic box or aquarium with some shallow water and a few rocks so that they can laze around all day suits them just fine. They don't mix well with other frogs, even in their own species, as they are just as likely to eat them.

What kind of Frog are you?

How freakishly accurate????

But we love our Pac Man frog.

xxx from Wendywoo & SarahBoo

What kind of frog is Sarah???

Poor Sarah took the test once and it told her she was a common toad (ahhh) so she took it again (in some circles we might call that cheating) and look what happened...



The largest toad found commonly in Europe, the Bufo Bufo species can grow up to 20cm in length with a rotund body. Active mostly at night, this toad will walk about slowly, sometimes making short jumps, in search of insects, worms and other invertebrates. This makes it of great help to farmers. At the end of autumn it buries itself in the soil where it remains until good weather arrives again.

What kind of Frog are you?

What Kind of Frog Is Wendy?

Also known as the Smiling Tree Frog or Dumpy Tree Frog due to the nature of its appearance, this frog is a very hardy creature and a favorite pet of amateur frog owners, although some pet owners complain that they are not active enough. These frogs love to eat, which can make them quite fat, hence their "dumpy" appearance. Unlike many frogs, these frogs do well with other frogs of their species and are fairly friendly. They like a warm and moderately humid habitat and eat larger insects like crickets, cockroaches, locusts, moths and beetles.

Too bad about the dumpy bit - but you can't argue with fate!

Frog Chorus

There was a stunning chorus of frog voices singing into the night yesterday. There is a very swampy area and a creek not too far from us. The dam that used to exist on this estate has been filled with land fill (unlike other estates where they are creating waterways and embracing existing natural features) and now has houses on top of it. Apart from the extra cost to the home owners with extra reinforcement of their houses this has meant that the frogs have had to move on. However, with all the land clearing leaving pot holes, tyre depressions and other places for rain to collect in, it seems that the frogs have made the best of a bad situation. I'm sure many will move to the waterways in the neighbouring estate but for now they are coping. I think the recent rains, especially after so little rain over the last number of years, may have also encouraged the frogs to breed more voraciously. I just hope that when the next stage goes in the frogs have time to move out before being hurt by all the heavy machinery. My other concern is the amount of rubbish that gets dumped around here and possible contamination of the water from vehicles and other construction techniques (such as the run off when they acid wash bricks and driveways). At least we are surrounded by fully constructed homes so our little piece of froggy heaven should be relatively safe. I just hope that they have enough habitat recreated by the next estate to cope with the habitat loss here.

Planning stage...still

We purchased a drain on the weekend and Peter found where the storm water runs...I was very close where I was digging and would have almost got there except it's under the path. However, with the doors, the dinner party and the rain we didn't have time to install it. That's ok though as I have been busy in other ways.

I've done some more research and found that where we live once "supported riparian plains, grassy woodland and swamp scrub". This is good news as it means there are lots of swampy plants that are indigenous to the area for my frogs to enjoy. So I found a list of native plants and have highlighted a few for the frog bog. There are some indigenous nurseries nearby so after payday after next I will have a look for some swamp wallaby grass (pictured), tall spike-sedge, pale-leaf rush and common bog-rush. Apparently they are all loved by frogs!

Speaking of frogs our amphibious friend was outside the laundry this morning - I think asking about how his/her new home is progressing - Sarah and I were very excited to hear that lovely melodious chirp. We have tried to identify the frog using the sounds on http://www.frogs.org.au/frogwatch/ . It's lots of fun but so far we haven't agreed on which is our friend.