Midnight at the oasis

The night was jet black, the air was so quiet and still – it was almost like an old black and white film, the part just before something is about to happen …

It did. Strange noises came from the garden … rumbles, rustles and deep guttural creaking groans followed by a rather load quacking noise. So … I ventured out with the camera - ‘wouldn’t you?’

Softly creeping, torch in hand – I shone its brightly gleaming beam all around the garden. I couldn’t see anything. I took a few steps more and my feet began to crunch under pebbles as I drew near to the pond. To my amazement, these orchestral rumblings were coming from all around the pond and underneath the water I could see at least twenty frogs. Some were resting, some were swimming and the remainder were mating … there should be some early frogspawn in the pond this year.

I began to take photographs and managed just two before the batteries in my camera died … the first was taken hurriedly at one perched right in front of me. The second – and this is why the batteries died was taken after I had lifted the netting that protects the fish from herons. I had left the camera on and lost the possibility of capturing more pictures of these beautiful amphibians. For those of you who wonder how the frogs get in and out of the pond with the netting in place – the netting has several areas that are lifted especially for the frogs and so they also are safe from predators and this includes the cat!