Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon

Spadefoot Toad Back in Oregon




Meet again the Spadefoot Toad that lives here at our property showing up once in a while in our pond.



Since our weather has been warm for this time of the year, I started watering. The next morning this Spadefoot Toad was in this fabricated pond. We placed these fabricated ponds into our natural ponds for water conservation. Our part of the High Desert has been getting drier then normal due to the limitation of water. We felt in 2014 that 2015 might be worse thus the prefabricated ponds.

As soon as we installed these two prefabricated ponds, this Spadefoot Toad showed up in this one. Last year the tadpoles hatched,grew and left the pond. This cycle looks as if it will continue in 2015. We have no clue how long this species of toad has lived here on our property? Since we have other species of frogs here, the singing of frogs and toads coming from our ponds goes on both days and nights. I try and photograph the visitors or the residence of wildlife we have here at home.



The photographs you see here are from two days. The first day this Spadefoot Toad wanted nothing to do with me, kept coming up in the shade mind you. As soon as the Spadefoot Toad noticed movement down it went into the dark depths of the pond!



The Spadefoot Toads head usually was in the shade. Might be to hot in the sun? Frogs and toads skin is very thin.....



I took several shots of the feet. Being diggers the feet of the Spadefoot Toad is different then water based creatures.



Since I do not pick up the toads or the frogs here without cause, such as death, this Spadefoot Toad is not touched by anyone! I do not allow us to pick  the Spadefoot Toad up by our hands. I just do not want to hurt them! So this Spadefoot Toad comes and goes as it wants to. Only seeing one adult stuck in the fabricated pond so far. Tadpoles are a different story and I have a net for these, again I just do not want to touch them.



You can see the side of the prefab pond in some of these shots. On day two the Spadefoot Toad seamed very.... it no longer was darting down under the water to the black depths of the pond. This concerned me due to the Spadefoot Toad behavior when it first was seen in the pond the day before. The question, what would happen to this Spadefoot Toad if it was unable to get out of the pond and go back into it's burrow went through my mind. I dont want to hurt the Spadefoot Toad by being ignorant!

I expressed my concerns to Guy when he got home from work and he seen the Spadefoot Toad was not expressing the liveliness of a creature who is doing well. So Guy placed a board in the pond, if the Spadefoot Toad wanted out, this could be a way it could get out. Since we have no idea how on earth the Spadefoot Toads even get into the pond? Assuming the need to breed is so great, getting into the prefab pond is easier then getting out for the creature.......



The next morning the Spadefoot Toad was gone. I like getting the photographs I do of the wild creature who show up here, but I am not going to go so far as stressing out the creatures who show up here. Stress is a killer of both small and large creatures. That to me is not a good host.

Who knows there might be Spadefoot Toad eggs again in 2015? It is still very early in the year..... We may just see this species in this pond again?? I have yet to see a grown Spadefoot Toad in the other pond. I did photograph several of the tadpoles last year in the other pond. Lets hope the snakes do not move in and wipe out our little ponds this year? I am on the watch for snakes, and the smell of such snakes!

Thank you for coming by and checking out these photographs that were taken ..... oh last week? A few days ago now.... If you would like to read the blog post of last year when I just learned what I have photographs of you can read that post here if you would like or copy and paste the url http://www.mrsroadrunner.com/blog/2014/6/spadefoot-toad .

Wild Frog Eating in the High Desert

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Wild Frog Eating in the High Desert




Meet this wild Frog Who had just ate something??



I come into this happening a little late so i did not actually see what this frog got itself to eat? As you can see it looks like along with something to eat it got some goobers too.



Keep in mind these wild creatures we have are used to me. That is I spend a lot of time watching them, critters are not stupid. They will get used to you watching them if you dont do anything more but watch them. Stressed out critters will lash out just like any other living thing, so leave them alone and you too will get their trust and you can get photographs without having to crop too!



As you can see the goal at this point for this fat frog is to get that goober out of its mouth! See how fat this frog is tell me this frog is a good hunter!



Our garden is a very active place! The frogs show up anywhere they are needed to help us with insect control. The frogs are welcomed to help!



The shot above the frog is using its "paw" (?), to get the goobers out of its mouth. I have observed these wild frogs eating and spitting out insects even haha! Must not have tasted good?? Insects do have their own defense mechanisms as secreting nasty chemicals that makes that insect taste nasty for instance.



This is a good shot above to how fat this frog is haha! When you hear me talking about the frogs on such places as twitter this is the species we have here the most, this is the Pacific Tree Frog which many folks think are not good to have around. I dont think this way since the frogs give me hours of entertainment just watching and listening to them.



This frog has gotten most of the goobers out by this shot above!



If one say wanted to physically capture such a thing for who knows what reasons, this would be the time! This frog has other things on its mind and is vulnerable. Though I do not see a point in picking up these frogs other then getting them out of a bad situation? Our hands have oils on them. These oils that all of us have, is not good for such things as frogs. Say you just ate some salty chips. Then you go to pick up one of these frogs, or any frog! That salt, as well as the oils on your hand goes straight to that poor frog!

Frogs skin is not real tough. Why frogs are having such a hard time these days. Then people feel the need to touch, pick up whatever for that photograph, or to put them in jars or whatever.... like I said these frogs are pretty common here at my place. How about the spotted frog if that is you get a chance to even see one! Endangered as they are. Kill a endangered species would not be cool just because a person is ignorant right? I ask you all to just think about what you are doing is all. Ying yang, I have to think as well....



All done!! The eating process takes time but as you can see this fat frog seams to have no problem catching something to eat! I am a tad bit bumbed I did not get to see what it was this frog caught to eat! Catching it with my camera or not at least I would have known haha

Thank you for coming by and seeing these photographs that I never shown anyone before! You are seeing these before Guy even gets to, I will show him these when he gets home from work. These photograph came from my archive of 2014 which I am still going through! As I am writting this several frogs are talking back and forth to each other! Warmer it gets the more frogs I hear, and see!

Tadpoles or Pollywogs FROGS

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Tadpoles or Pollywogs FROGS




Meet the Tadpoles of our pond! We have had the frogs / toads here at the house for some time. Mostly the common species Pacific Tree Frogs. Though when we put in prefabricated ponds to help with the water issue in our area, we found out we have toads here as well!



I really do not know what species these Tadpoles are? I do have a idea however...... We have two ponds in which we put these prefabricated ponds into the bigger natural ponds. Doing this I learned a little more of the differences of the Tadpoles we have here. These Tadpoles do NOT like to be seen, at least during the day! So I waited for them to come to the top to get their photograph. I like their eyes!! They are this bright yellow, orange color that remind me of the color of a sunrise/sunset! You can see a little of the eyes on the Tadpole that is coming up there on the right. These are also bigger then the other ponds Tadpoles.



This shot is from the other ponds, see the raspberry leaves?? This pond is where the Raspberries are planted. Draping over the water giving shade to that which live in the water. The creatures seam to like this? These photographs were taken on a day in July 2014. With these prefabricated ponds in place, we do still have water in them even though this is now December and these Tadpoles are adults by now.





We are back to the other pond! This one we call the smaller pond. Why? The natural pond is smaller then the other pond is why. This one does not have Raspberries planted , this one has cattails planted. I am always cutting back and puling out the raspberries who really do try to take over the world!! This ponds shade comes from a flowering fruit tree we have growing here in the High Desert of Oregon.

These prefabricated ponds have saved us gallons of water!! During spring , summer and some of fall we do add water to the natural part of the pond, though nothing like we used to !! Since the Tadpoles are doing fine the way we have the ponds in 2014. 2015 things may need to be tweaked, we will see?

This is also one big reason I do not use the agriculture water. That water is run off from the farms and ranches. The frogs, toads, lizards etc.. are having a hard enough time here in Oregon trying to find a environment where they can live. I have been advised not to have fish that will disrupt this environment for the amphibians . Our ponds are just not that big!





The shot above is from the "small pond".

Technical issues this morning has cut this blog post short.



Small Pond



Small pond



Small pond



Big pond with the smaller species of Tadpoles.



Small pond



Small pond



Thank you for coming by and seeing the photographs from this day in July 2014. I did photograph the development of the Tadpoles in 2014 through out their life. I am sure I will run across the photographs and perhaps make another blog post about them?

Have a great friday and a better weekend!!

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Spadefoot Toad

Spadefoot Toad





This is the Spadefoot Toad who resides at one of our ponds.

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