Not only have we had the good fortune to house 5 baby birds this summer (on the back porch), we have gotten to watch tadpoles metamorph into frogs!!! We realized both our pond and the pool cover had thousands (or so it seems) tadpoles in them, so we couldn't empty either until they were grown. Instead, we have created a science project and are watching the little guys. Most still had tails and no legs or arms when we "rescued" them and brought them inside to watch. We have seen back legs grow, then front arms, and yesterday, we realized that one had no tail. He looked like he was drowning, so I jumped on the internet, only to discover that he WAS indeed drowning! Once they lose their tails, they gain lungs (good-bye gills!). Well, they were in a gallon pickle jar and had no way to get out into the air, so we had to find a new way to house them. Now, they have a half pond/half above water habitat in our 10 gallon fish tank. This little guy is sitting in a teacup awaiting his new home--which he loves! He has suckers on his hand and feet and can climb the walls of the fish tank, climb up the "log" and onto the cement blocks, and he is having a ball! He's everywhere! We have to keep an eye on the rest of the little guys. For some reason, when they get their lungs, they don't always know that they have to get out of the water and will drown, even if there is a non-water place for them to go. So we have to catch them and get them out before they get to that point. Now we are going to the Petco to get "bloodworms" which is what a carniverous baby frog eats. YUCK! We are learning so much about science this summer!
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