Update on the Pond

Once our pond filled up and the frogs all came a courting, we had tadpoles. Lots and lost of tadpoles.

But this is a seasonal pond, and when the rain stops, the pond dries up. And when the pond dries up, the tadpoles do too.

We tried to save some and put a couple handfuls in a bucket. We weren't sure how many we had saved, but we did find this big guy the other night and we have found a bunch of little ones in the pool filter, some alive, some not so much. 

Ron built a little frog house in the garden and we placed some of the saved frogs there. I haven't seen any frogs when we go to the garden, but we did see a gopher snake visiting.

Frogs

Each evening, ever since the Potter Pond filled up, we are serenaded by a cacophony of frogs and toads. To date, we have to actually seen any of these frogs or toads. Last night we took a flashlight down to the pond in hopes of finding one of these troubadours, but we didn't have any luck. I tried to make a recording of the sounds on my phone, but it didn't sound very good. I will go out again this weekend and see if I can get a good recording.

Last year we did find what we think was a California Toad on the property. We thought maybe he came back, with A LOT of friends. Based on the croaks that we hear each night, it sounds like there could be many different types.

I found a website that helps you identify frogs and toads in California (www.californiaherps.com). In addition to pictures, they have recordings of their croaks. Based on the recording I would say that it is NOT the California Toad that we are hearing. Based on the ranges and the sounds, the toads that I think we might be hearing include the Arroyo Toad, maybe some Red-Spotted Toads or Sonoran Desert Toads. As for frogs, the possibilities include the Sierran Treefrog, the Baja California Treefrog, the Northern Pacific Treefrog, the Rio Grande Leopard Frog, or maybe an escaped African Clawed Frog. 

Rising Water In the Dam

This is our first time seeing the dam out back fill up. We have no idea how much water it can actually hold and how much of our land will end up being flooded when it is full. The water looks pretty muddy now, but we think that it will all settle after a while. It would be fun to put some fish in, but since we have no idea how fast it will dry up, we won't try that...yet.

The previous owners and the neighbors have told us that when there is water there are also a lot of frogs - to the point where the noise gets pretty loud. Let's see how long that takes!

Wild Life on the Farm

A few of the animals we have found on the land.

California Toad

Gopher Snake

Tarantula

Island Fence Lizard (I think)

We also have rabbits, squirrels and gophers, but I really like the non-cute and fuzzy ones the best!