How often do you find unexpected things during ecology surveys?
It happens to us quite regularly and we look forward to it.
Recently, during a preliminary ecology appraisal, we were checking a wall for potential nesting bird features when something else caught our eye. On the wall top, there was a substance that looked a bit like melted plastic from a distance. When we got closer, we realised that it was clumps of frogspawn.
Ironically, we had spent part of the previous week looking for suitable ponds to record frog sounds, without success.
We have found frogspawn in short dry grassland, moorland vegetation (no ponds nearby) and even in our garden, but never elevated on a dry surface like this one.
It is a useful reminder to be alert at all times, and never to assume that wildlife will conform to a human-centred view of behaviour.
