First frogspawn in UK survey recorded in Isles of Scilly

Trevor Renals, who recorded the sighting in the Camel Valley, said: “I wasn’t particularly looking for spawn, but I am a freshwater ecologist, so I’m always interested to see what I can find.

“The survey provides useful data on how nature is responding to climate change.”

Dr Naomi Ewald, Freshwater Habitats Trust technical director, said the records “help to improve our understanding of when and where frogs and toads are breeding and are invaluable for wildlife conservation”.

“Small water bodies are often undervalued and neglected, but these early sightings in different habitats, from ponds to ditches, show how important they are for amphibians and other freshwater species,” she said.

Freshwater Habitats Trust encourages everyone to participate in the survey, which runs until May, by recording sightings on its website, external and sharing photos on social media with the hashtag #spawnsurvey.