on most nights this guy hangs out, dining on moths attracted to the light shining into the backyard through the plate glass picture window separating the florida room & garden.
outside the window i have a bird bath which is normally active during the day (separate birdbath thread to follow) but yesterday saw not a bird drink nor bathe. i noticed something on the edge of the birdbath and went to investigate.
at first i thought one of the more aggressive blackbirds must have hurt the frog and i felt terrible. i didn't know what to do. should i take it to the vet? should i take it out of its misery? but as i still can't handle sadness real well yet i left it all for nature to handle. turned out to be a good indecision.
i checked on the frog later in the day. it now became apparent to me that the frog was not in danger, rather it was birthing.
enter the private life of a tree frog:
later it turned, backside towards the water, ready for delivery.
here's a sight you've probably never seen before:
when i checked a few hours later the tree frog was resting in the water with the womb deflated. i didn't see any babies in the water so i assume they were in the frog's mouth, but i don't know.
today at the birdbath, no frog, no apparent egg sack in the water, no babies seen. i suspect the frog moved them out of camera view.
part of what i found interesting is how the birds which normally congregate regularly at the birdbath, especially before sunset, kept their distance while the frog was birthing. some people just have no respect for privacy.