Cornwall and Devon add first records to 2023 PondNet Spawn Survey

And finally for this week, signs of spring

Cornwall and Devon add first records to 2023 PondNet Spawn Survey - Freshwater Habitats Trust

a small clump of frog spawn in shallow water surrounded by straglly green leafy stems — frog spawn (image: pixabay)

The season’s first sightings of frog spawn have been added to an annual national survey, with the first entry being from the Isles of Scilly on 23 December. Led by national wildlife conservation charity Freshwater Habitats Trust, the PondNet Spawn Survey maps sightings of Common Frog and Common Toad spawn across the country to better understand how amphibians use different types of waterbodies to breed.

The first data was added by Carole Cilia, who spotted frog spawn in her garden pond on St Mary’s two days before Christmas. This was followed by two sightings in North Devon early in the New Year.

Freshwater Habitats Trust has been collecting data on sightings of breeding frogs and toads since 2012. Each year since then, people across the country have got involved by recording spawn they have spotted in their garden or community ponds, or in the countryside.

Anyone can upload PondNet Spawn Survey data, adding a grid reference, the nearest postcode or using the What3Words app. The charity is also encouraging people to share photographs of frog and toad spawn they have spotted on social media, using the hashtag #SpawnSurvey