Missing Frogs

I have had a small preformed pond ( 40-50 gallons) for the last 5 years and for the first 3 years had a small colony of about 6 frogs but for the last 2 years they have disappeared. We had frogs even when I had no pond in fact the pond was installed for them and has no fish and plenty of healthy plants some of which flower every year.
I have tried introducing spawn from a friends pond and saw some small froglets the 1st time but none since then, I know there are diseases that will kill them (Ranavirus/Chytridiomycosis) but have never found any corpses so am at a loss as to what might have happened to them.

 

predators?

 

birds?

 

Cold winters? Lack of foodstuff due to adverse weather?

 

I know the reason all my frog visitors have disappeared and that's due to the neighbours cat catching them - my own don't bother with them but that one's a young one and will hunt anything that moves.

 

I don't have a pond and we have loads of frogs in our garden - no idea why. We have had a few big ones recently, and now I keep finding tiny ones in the strawberry plants that make me jump.

 

Have you got newts in the pond Judderman? If so, that's your answer. They have voracious appetites and tadpoles and froglets are at the top of their menu.

 

we have frogs and newts in our pond at diff times(well frogs are always there) and everything seems in harmony,as been for yrs? frogs hide everywhere,startle me while im weeding plus they visit next door which they hate i wouldnt worry frogs now where they can spawn xx

 

Totally off the subject but your avatar really makes me want to poke it Judderman..........

 

lol it an be a tad annoying but I like it

On the frog front I have no newts but plenty of snails and dragonfly larvae and lots of other wriggly things that I can't identify so there seems to be plenty of food, and my little garden is designed with wildlife in mind so no chemicals are used which allows the snails and slugs to do their own thing which the hedgehogs and thrushes like (and I would have thought the frogs as well) so maybe they have been predated and I will just have to keep on trying to re-establish a new colony.

 

Could not think what to do with this pic so will put it on here. :D
I hope your frogs come back one day mate they are quite amusing to have hopping about the garden...this is the only one I have had in my garden all year....well the only one that I spotted anyway lol