Fascinating frogs
It’s that time of year again, when toads come jumping through our house at night. Once again, most have been quite small, quick hopping youngsters that enter our house in the evening and hop all over the place.
I have frequently had to leap up to catch them and put them outside. However, I guess it’s the right time of year for this to happen. So, let’s talk about these interesting creatures.
Firstly, we need to understand that toads belong to a family of frogs called the Bufonidae, and that although this is a fairly big family, with some 24 southern African species, it is only one of 13 southern African frog families.
Anyone really interested in knowing more about our frogs should acquire a copy of Louis du Preez and Vincent Carruthers’s excellent book, A Complete Guide to the Frogs of Southern Africa, published by Struik in 2009.
While those of us living in suburbia may encounter a number of different toad species, the one that has been particularly common is the Red Toad (Schismaderma carens).
The name suggests that these toads are red in colour, and while they can have a fairly strong pinkish-orange appearance, they are, in my experience, more commonly brownish-yellow when fully grown. Perhaps the most distinctive feature about the Red Toad is the pair of dark spots on their backs as other suburban species lack these.
Red Toads are widespread in savanna and woodland, and readily adapt to human habitation. They breed in fairly deep water, but wander into nearby vegetation to feed and hibernate. I believe that they are quite good at climbing and can sometimes be found under the eaves of houses!
Toads are of course just frogs that spend a lot of their time on land as opposed to in water.
A reduction in their dependence on water has made them very successful in climates like ours. Toads can bury themselves in the ground during dry spells and in this way reduce water loss through evaporation.
They have also streamlined their developmental period. Eggs develop rapidly and the tadpoles are ready to leave water within a very short period of time when compared with many other frogs. This short aquatic phase allows toads to breed in temporary water resources, like roadside puddles and the like, and this ability probably accounts for the fact that toads are frequently found some distance from permanent bodies of fresh water.
Toads are mostly active at night (nocturnal), although Red Toads may also be encountered during the day (diurnal), especially in overcast conditions. They are predatory and eat a wide range of invertebrate creatures such as earthworms, termites, crickets, etc.
While dormant (during our dry, cold winters) they do not feed but instead reduce their metabolic rate and wait for the spring rains.
Like many frogs, the Red Toad secretes a toxic fluid from its back when molested by predators. Breeding takes place from September through to March and females can produce some 20 000 eggs. Aquatic tadpoles take between 37 and 52 days to develop into young toads capable of surviving out of water.
While toads are able to survive for fairly long periods without water, they will actively seek it out whenever necessary. For example, we have a dog and keep a bowl of drinking water on our patio. Because we have on some mornings found drowned toads in this bowl, we have learned to put the bowl out of reach at night. Clearly toads need water, but can’t survive when deprived of a means of gaining dry ground.
We all know that many species are being adversely affected by human activity and in particular climate change due to global warming. It is no surprise that there is international concern that many species are likely to become extinct in their natural habitats unless something is done to address the problems.
We in KwaZulu-Natal are fortunate in having some excellent books on frogs and easy access to the Internet, so ignorance is not an excuse.
It is a pity that toads are not the most endearing of creatures and that they are sometimes viewed with disdain and even hatred by many people. Those who have the responsibility of teaching our children should do all they can to dispel the many myths surrounding frogs and encourage behaviour that will help in their conservation.
We decided to put in four solar panels, which would keep the fridge going and allow us to watch TV during load shedding. But we were not the only beneficiaries: the little sparrows, wagtails and chats were delighted as it gave them somewhere to shelter from either the sun or the rain.
I’ve been watching Red-winged Starlings for many years, from 1974 in fact. In those days they were not common in Howick, and only present in winter. A few years later I noticed, without keeping proper notes, that there seemed to be more than in the earlier days, and that they stayed a bit longer. Visitors to the Drakensberg will know well that the Berg is their real home. What I had been seeing was an example of altitudinal migration. Worldwide it’s a rare phenomenon. That’s because in cold countries winter at low altitude is still cold, and in equatorial countries there is no winter anyway. But in KZN we have cold highlands within one short flight of subtropical lowlands.
But there’s a twist. Some of the starlings started staying for the summer. Then pretty much all of them did. They started moving down to the coast.
Now they are firmly established in Durban, nesting on the ledges of the older buildings. This cannot be anything to do with global warming — the starlings have been heading in the wrong direction. The simple explanation is that a species with a flexible attitude has recognised a new opportunity, even when humans are responsible.
Autumn is here and the birds have noticed. The “last” kite departed on March 10, except for a single one that hung on for four more days. Why they depart while there are still warm days is a mystery to me. All the other migrants are still here, including those that breed in Europe. You’d think that they ought to get a move on. Barn Swallows loosely gather over the Ambers, as they always do just at the beginning of April. They are joined by Common Swifts, which are completely black, so easily distinguished from our White-rumped Swifts.
Keep your eyes on the swirling company and there’s sure to be an Alpine Swift there. It’s much bigger than the other swifts and has mostly white underparts.
It’s not often that birds of different species fight each other. What would be the point when their niches differ? But I saw a “handbags at five paces” ding-dong between a Familiar Chat and a Cape Wagtail. The chat landed next to an insect on the ground just as the wagtail was walking towards it. There was a stand-off with open beak threats while the insect escaped.
A flock of guineafowl rattle through my garden at regular intervals. They often stop to dig morsels out of the lawn, making quite a mess in the process.
A few days ago, along they came, this time with eight youngsters. It’s not the only flock that has been successful this year. Elsewhere on the estate is a flock with much smaller chicks.
On the mammal front our dear little Striped Field Mice have discovered there are treats to be found in the house. They are not making themselves at home, and luckily have learned their way around and know how to find the exits.
A wonderful experience just recently was seeing our female Grey Duiker on the lawn licking its new-born fawn. It was wobbly and fluffy, and now will be hidden in a safe place until it is nimble enough to travel with its mother.