On Monday 3rd February the Glasgow volunteers headed over to Victoria Park in the west of Glasgow to do some pond clearance. The pond is hidden away in the rockeries beside the famous Fossil Grove and is well-sheltered from the wind so it made for a pleasant – almost warm! – day.
Starting to clear the pond in the morning
After all the recent rain the ponds were very full – not just with water but with a lot of debris that had collected over the autumn and winter.
The area will soon be used by frogs and toads to lay spawn. However, last year a period of dry Spring weather meant that the spawn started to dry out as the water level fell and the eggs had to be transported over to Bingham’s Pond several miles away.
The plan was to clear debris from the pond so that the depth of water could be improved and hopefully prevent any spawn from being exposed again this year.
The group cleared the pond of as much dead leaves and vegetation as we could and also removed the Willow and Ash saplings that had started to grow. We also dug out a lot of Dock and Sedge that had become well-established.
Looking better already!
We spotted several frogs in the pond – and possibly a big toad although it moved too quickly to make a positive ID!! We were also watched by a very curious fox that circled around above us on the rocks and then wandered down the steps for a closer look!
Spot the frog!
Hopefully all our hard work will help retain more water in the pond and encourage amphibians to spawn safely there in the next few weeks.