April 5, 2013. A Trip to the Ponds and... the Spawning of Gray Toads!

Just a week ago there was a thick layer of snow. After a few warm days we went to check — how much time was left before the gray toads' spawning... In the morning I was at the hospital and even managed to lie under a drip — I had to spend a week and a half in day treatment at the Institute of Therapy, where I was put back in relative order. After discharge and receiving my sick leave certificate, I left the hospital to meet the car that had come to pick me up. We set off for Iskov Pond to assess when one should expect the arrival of the gray toads. I assumed that the trip for spawning marking (for which students would need to be called) would have to be done on the following weekend. We went to Iskov Pond not by the usual route, but with detours to other places. First we stopped at the Donetsk hillfort in Khoroshevo — simply because we were passing by. [IMG_1] Spring flowers, like this Gagea, are already in bloom. Moreover, the first pollinators have already appeared. [IMG_2] The Donetsk hillfort is located not above the Donets, but above the Uda. Apparently, this is where Prince Igor fled from Polovtsian captivity... [IMG_3] The hillfort dominates over the Uda (which in ancient times was probably much more full-flowing) and is surrounded by moats. Rains erode the earth here, which is full of pottery fragments and arrowheads. At the top — a small altar. Pagans still come here to perform their rituals. [IMG_4] Young women are completely special beings. In this and the following photographs they are not posing (well, perhaps in the next one they are actually posing) in front of the camera. It is natural for them to constantly adopt such poses. [IMG_5] [IMG_6] [IMG_7] [IMG_8] This is the pond in Yakovlevka. Once a large population of gray toads spawned here. Now it is empty... [IMG_9] On the other side of the road from the pond there was always a small lake. Now, despite the melting of the thick snow cover, it has been reduced to a small puddle. No one spawns in it. [IMG_10] The once full-flowing stream no longer flows but trickles in drops. [IMG_11] The large pond in Ostrovverkhovka has been leased out. Signs, dogs... The dam has been renovated, a pipe installed for draining excess water (this photograph was taken through it). The water level in the pond is much lower than the maximum. [IMG_12] The pond itself is quite large. [IMG_13] Female green frogs have started to emerge. This appears to be Pelophylax esculentus; an attempt to catch her ended in failure. [IMG_14] And this is Pelophylax ridibundus. It was possible to catch her; we use her for artificial crossings, as this is a large female full of eggs. [IMG_15] [IMG_16] [IMG_17] A tortoiseshell butterfly (either Nymphalis polychloros or N. xanthomelas — in my ignorance I didn't know, but a specialist corrected me). [IMG_18] A female pheasant. [IMG_19] And here is Iskov Pond in Gaidary. The upper part is dried up, as in summer. [IMG_20] Coltsfoot has bloomed. According to traditional signs, its flowering should coincide with spawning. To be honest, I thought that the atypical spring (long cold spells, heavy snowfalls, and then — a sudden warming) should have broken such a connection. It turned out I was wrong: the omen was confirmed. [IMG_21] In most of the pond there are few toads, but near the ruined pier — an extremely intense spawning cluster! [IMG_22] [IMG_23] [IMG_24] Many pairs have already begun to deposit eggs. [IMG_25] [IMG_26] [IMG_27] Above (in terms of the headwaters and dam of the pond) the pier there is very little water. Fortunately, the table with benches is located right next to the site of mass spawning. [IMG_28] Calling the collection of gray toads in spawning clusters of such density "catching" seems strange somehow. Note how many pairs can be gathered without moving from the spot. The further task is to process the caught toads as quickly as possible, so that they can return to egg-laying sooner and lose a minimum of eggs. [IMG_29] Processing consists of searching for marked individuals and applying new marks. [IMG_30] Release of processed toads. [IMG_31] Despite arriving at the pond as it was getting dark, we managed to get quite a lot done. [IMG_32] An anomalous individual. [IMG_33] Sound background — the continuous chirping of birds. [IMG_34] Roe deer came to drink. [IMG_35] Where during last year's spawning we were rowing a boat, white wagtails now strut about. [IMG_36] Small puddles are intensely blooming with algae. [IMG_37] It was unexpected for me that such a bloom of green algae could be observed in the first week after the snow melts, at the beginning of April. [IMG_38] [IMG_39] [IMG_40] [IMG_41] [IMG_42] [IMG_43] [IMG_44] We spotted a turtle that had just emerged from hibernation. By its orange eyes one can tell this is a male. [IMG_45] Here I was trying to capture yet another characteristic feature of male turtles: the concavity of the plastron. This makes it easier to hold onto the female during mating. [IMG_46] The turtle was still in a sluggish state: it hadn't fully "switched on" after hibernation yet. [IMG_47] It was getting dark; photographs of toads without a flash were no longer turning out. [IMG_48] [IMG_49] [IMG_50] [IMG_51] On Sunday, April 7th, we plan to continue work with the involvement of students and young naturalists from the zoo. And on the way back, we managed to collect a sample of spadefoot toads under the headlights on the road. The Kharkiv region is at the edge of the range of the recently rediscovered species Pelobates vespertinus (Pallas's spadefoot toad), and we plan to begin work comparing this species with the common spadefoot toad, Pelobates fuscus. These are two cryptic species (i.e., species with inconspicuous differences), and such work should be especially interesting. In general, the field season has truly begun.