County Kildare News

This year the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) are conducting a major survey of frogs in Ireland to gather baseline information about these much loved wetland creatures. The survey of the Common Frog (Rana temporaria) is being undertaken to gain further insight into their distribution and abundance in every county in Ireland. We are asking members of the public to help us with our survey by sending us in sightings of frogs. Watch the Hop To It Frog Survey movie on YouTube or facebook (See editors note 2).
 
Frogs are not just found in the wild as they are regular visitors to gardens and even breed in garden ponds. As the natural and wild habitat of the frog is lost to development and drainage, gardens will become increasingly important. “The peak times for spawning are February and March and it is essential to monitor frogs as they are barometers of environmental health” says Michael Kenny, Conservation Officer of the IPCC. “It is also important that we gather baseline information on the distribution of the Common Frog in Ireland so that changes in population can be monitored” he added.
 
The Hop To It frog survey has been conducted annually for 14 years and the IPCC have received over 4000 records. The Common Frog is widespread in Ireland but is under threat in other parts of Europe due to factors such as loss of habitat, chemical pollution and infectious disease. This year we are hoping for more records from Ulster, Limerick, Sligo and Laois. Therefore, we would encourage people and school children to keep an eye out for frogs in these areas and report the sigthings to us.
 
We invite everyone with frog sightings to participate in our Hop To It Irish Frog survey. If you observe any stage in the frog life cycle such as frog spawn, tadpoles and adult frogs, please fill out a survey card and return it to the IPCC. Survey forms are available at http://www.ipcc.ie/surveycards.html or they can be obtained directly from Michael Kenny, Conservation Officer, IPCC, Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare, Tel 045-860133. We also have an extensive information resource on our website of crafts and activities relating to frogs at http://www.ipcc.ie/hoptoitintro.html 
 
Editors note
Hop To It Frog Survey movie on YouTube details http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEKj-ZxsREE
Hop To It Frog Survey movie on facebook details
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Irish-Peatland-Conservation-Council/179709574456?ref=nf