Februar, marec 2013 - Adria Airways

med plavimi žabicami
The blue frog hunt begins after the sun is up and the warm rays of sunshine
start to lure the frogs out into the open. It takes a lot of patience until the first
little blue head peeks out of the water with a characteristic "blub" sound. I
dare not move for fear of startling the frogs; I can see them in the viewfinder
of my camera but I wait a little longer. Soon there is another blub and then
another, until finally the sounds grow into a relaxed hum. At last I can start
taking pictures. The frogs stay above the surface for a few moments, hop
around for a little while and soon disappear back into the pond.
I was captivated. Yes, I had just spent hours sitting motionless for the sake of
taking a few photographs, but I would not trade the experience for anything.
In fact, I was so taken by the moor frogs that I drove to the other end of Slovenia,
to Prekmurje, where they are also known to live. Dozens of blue frogs
crowded in a convenient puddle is a sight that I won't forget in a hurry.
The habitat of moor frogs comprises swamp meadows, flood-prone forests,
dead river branches, marshes and ponds, where they are free to reproduce and
deposit spawn. Males are usually first to visit potential spawning places. Their
humming is designed to attract females that they can mate with; once the
females deposit the spawn, the males fertilize it externally. The spawn forms
large pads. Spawning places can attract a hundred or more specimens. In addition
to the Krakovo forest, moor frogs in Slovenia can also be found in dead
river branches of the Mura, in Podravje and in the Ljubljana Marshes.
The moor frog is not the only species named after the colour blue in Slovenia.
It shares its name with a type of floating fern (Salvinia natans) and a bird, the
blue tit (Parus caeruleus). The interesting thing is that these three species can
all be found in and around the dead river branches of the Mura.
If coincidence or curiosity brings
you to one of these locations in
spring, please be considerate. The
moor frog is a vulnerable species
and has been placed on Slovenia's
Red List of Amphibians. They
certainly wouldn't like to
have too many people around
during mating season.
Anyway – enjoy the spring!
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