We recently started nurturing more than a passing interest in South Africa’s different kinds of amphibians, adding another fascinating facet to our enjoyment of our natural heritage. When we visited the Royal Natal National Park in March the trout dam at Mahai proved an excellent spot to go looking for frogs and toads, and other aquatic life, as soon as darkness fell.
(Look out for a special feature post about the Common River Frog to be published here in early June, and follow the links for more on the Painted Reed Frog and Raucous Toad in the meantime)
Common River Frog
Common River Frog
Common River Frog
Painted Reed Frog
Painted Reed Frog
Painted Reed Frog
Raucous Toad
Raucous Toad
Freshwater Crab
Freshwater Crab
By day, the dam at Mahai is a favourite spot for a quiet picnic. We also saw a few trout fisherman achieving success with their rods.
Mahai Dam
The Amphitheatre from Mahai Dam
Tranquility at the Mahai Dam
DeWetsWild 
I like frogs too, even the raucous chorus of the raucous toads!
Amazing how you can tell the species apart not only by their looks but also by their calls!
I am not clued up on calls, but knowing how variable in looks many species of frogs can be, I would guess that the calls might be a more reliable way of identifying them – provided they are calling of course!
Grillerige goetertjies die paddas maar as dit nou prinse word kyk mens anders daaroor.
Ek soen seker nie lekker genoeg nie, want hierdie paddas is almal nogsteeds paddas… 😀
hehehehe nou wat op aarde wil JY met ‘n prins doen?
Kan net handig wees om vriende in hoe plekke te he!
I love reflections on lakes!
We do as well, Robert!
I find frogs so much fun to photograph!
Willing them to sit nice and still while you focus the lens is certainly a fun challenge!
Paddas interesseer my nog altyd. Hierdie is ‘n baie welkome inskrywing en jou foto’s is pragtig, Dries. Ek is altyd so opgewonde as hier ‘n padda in my tuin is. Hier was vroeër heelwat, maar mens sien nie meer nie…dit bekommer my. Paddas is omtrent die eerste aanduiding of die omgewing gesond is of nie.
Wat n tragedie sal dit nie wees as ons diere soos hierdie van die aarde af uitwis nie.
Ek het vir ons n lekker dik paddagids aangeskaf en n heeltemal nuwe wereld het vir ons oopgegaan!
The closer we observe nature the more we see. I have also become fascinated by the colouring of the different frogs I come across. The regular frog choruses we used to enjoy from the dam below our home dried up with the water ):
I am so sorry to hear that you no longer have a frog chorus to enjoy in the evenings, Anne – I find their calls rather soothing!
So good to get introduced to the amazing diversity of fauna in your place…
I live in Kerala, and close to the western ghats, one of the hottest hot spot of bio diversity in the world, and we could see how amphibians are affected by rising temperatures due to global warming.
Documenting them and trying to protect their habitat is really important I feel…
Thank you so much for your effort and sharing the images 🙂
Amphibians really are a good indicator of the health of our environment, Sreejith, and sadly the picture you paint seems to be true for most of the rest of the earth as well. Let’s hope that our eyes will open before all hope is lost!
I really hope so, as I know there are a lot of selfless people who are working to learn more about them and try preserving their habitat …
I like that pale one clinging to the grass spear. 🙂
janet
Not so clearly visible on the picture, but it was almost translucent!
You may be interested in this post: https://nicksnaturepics.wordpress.com/2019/04/12/the-amazing-wood-frog/
Very, very interesting – thanks, Hien!
Great photos, Dries. Is the raucous toad so named because it makes more noise than the others? 😯
Spot on, Sylvia! Have a listen: http://www.frogbook.co.za/Calls/46_Raucous_Toad.mp3
No kidding. 😅😳
Imagine a few dozen of them next to your tent!
No thanks.
Het in my amper tien jaar hier geen padda nog teengekom nie! Mis hul nogal. Ons het wel baie krimpvarkies wat sommer in die tuin loop snags soms bedags ook. Hul soek egter nou slaapplekkies om te oorwinter.
Daar’s blykbaar net 4 soorte inheemse paddas in New Zealand, Ineke – seker die dat hulle so min gesien word: http://www.nzfrogs.org/NZ+Frogs.html
Maar krimpvarkies is darem n welkome en oulike plaasvervanger – hier by ons roei die katte hulle uit in die tuine, dis dekades sedert ons een in die dorp raakgeloop het.
Hier word baie doodgery omdat hul meestal snags oor die straat hardloop. Dis ook oulik as ek met Trompie loop hoor hy die gevroetel en dan gaan kyk ons. Hul krul meestal nie eers op nie.