Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain What critter left these behind?

My son took pictures of these. Any guesses?

I don't have a clue but, if they all hatch, you'll have a lot of something.

Hopefully whatever did that there was more than one dropping all that!

Toad eggs is what they appear to be.

From what I saw, the rule of thumb is frogs lay eggs in a big amorphous (no distinct shape or arrangement) mass. Toads lay eggs in ribbons or strings. I had similar "curly fries" in my shallows. They've since hatched out to 1/4-3/16" tadpoles .. or toad-poles as my family likes to call them. I don't see any difference between tadpoles of frog or toad. Time will tell as they start to sprout legs. Some of my 2-4" tadpoles have the ridges down the body inline with eyes though. Starting to see features.

How can the few very small toads i have seen next to the pond produce so many eggs. Wow!

We did have a lot of american toads last year, hoped for more frogs but any critter (besides muskrat) are welcome so far at our pond.

Toad orgy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-Ogja-uao

There was definitely more than one.

They don't start out quite that large. But, like yeast dough, they grow in size as they are subjected to a little bit of the spring sun's warmth.

Particularly in my settlement/silt ponds, I'm again seeing all kinds of life that looks like it came from an alien planet. Frogs, toads, salamanders, newts ....

It is all fun, and they will add to spring and summer serenades, which thankfully get repeated year after year.

Today there are millions of 'toadpoles' about 1/2" or less big. So many the water is black in the shallows. I guess they had a high hatch rate...

I expected to see the fish coming in and cleaning them up but no predator activity.



Also, had a dead momma goldfish (biggest one)floating in the shallows a day this week, can't say I'm sad, I need to get more out anyway but sure wonder how they made it through digging the pond out with only a bit of muddy water in the bottom and through several winters but now die out of the blue.

Then today a dead turtle floating in the shallows. I hope there isn't a poisoning going on. The first application of lawn fertilizer went on about a week ago and I did see a few granules in the shallow end of the pond but not much they were careful to not get too much in the pond. I'm sure more fertilizer comes in by runoff from the sloped front yard than from granules that make it in...

As far as I know only the fertilizer was a slow release nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorous is banned in fertilizer in MI.

The dog chased off the GBH but there is a tiny green heron that sneaks in and he doesn't spot him very often.

Lots of rain overnight so hopefully some 'dilution' effect of whatever is in the pond will help.

I had toad hatches very similar, but I don't have any predator fish in the pond yet.
A few 5" YP that went after the toad tadpoles when first stocked, but spit them right out. They must not taste very well.
I've still got clouds of them along the banks. Although they are getting bigger.

Yeah I'm not sure if toadpoles have much in the way of piscivorous predators...I'm guessing SOMETHING will eat them but at least at my ponds, it doesn't appear that fish do/will.

I found 6 small baby turtles in the pond yesterday. they were the same size as they ones they sold in the pet stores a few yr's back. About the size of a silver dollar. They were all around the 3.5 acre pond. I am not sure what type of turtle they are, but I found it odd that all would show up the same day to this new pond. kinda kool though.

Tracy

Small LMB and BG eat toad tadpoles in my pond.

They were born there more than likely... I like turtles and don't have a prob with them at all

SetterGuy just wait till they have legs and can hop out around the edge of the pond. The birds will pick them all off in a week easy.

I have not seen my perch take any tad poles.

Cheers Don.