LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO MATE - NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE'S FROGS ON THE MOVE

Alas, this critter on the pavement in Sherburn Street, Cleethorpes, seemed to be ailing - it had run out of hop

WATCH out for frogs  on the roads and pavements of North East Lincolnshire.

Some have spent winter buried in silt at the bottom of ponds and dykes, taking in oxygen through their skin.

Others have been reposing in dormant state under sheds, decking and stones or in compost heaps.

But the onset of warmer weather has awoken them, and they are now seeking ponds and other wet places to breed.

Over the past seven days, there have been both urban and rural sightings across the borough.

Males tend to  start moving before females and will  wait at the pond for a willing mate to arrive.

Once spawning is over, many will leave the water and may not spend much of summer in a watercourse at all.

If attacked, say by a predatory bird or a dog or fox, frogs have been known to utter a  'scream' - a high-pitched noise.

Toads, by contrast, emit a toxin which is distasteful to predators.

There are plenty of garden ponds in the borough, plus numerous other wetlands suitable for spawning.

In some cases frogs will even choose flooded tractor tyre furrows in fields or even large puddles.

Of the tadpoles that emerge from spawn, few survive because they are so vulnerable to predation.

They  make an easily-obtained meal for fish and waterbirds such as herons, egrets and grebes.