Common Frog

I rescued this Common Frog from my cat (on some images you may still be able to pick out a few stray feline hairs) and carefully placed it on this log in my garden, hoping it would not immediately leap off and disappear into the undergrowth. It complained a little – letting out a plaintive mid-pitch mini-croak, not unlike – ironically – a kitten's mew. But as it was, as a model the frog couldn't have been more obliging. With cloud cover meaning little available light, I mounted the camera on a tripod while the frog slowly explored its new surroundings. They are, I think, wonderful little creatures, each a unique mix of markings and each subtly different in their colouring, from a deep green-brown to almost olive. This one – a female, I think (the males have a hard swelling on the first finger to grasp their partner during mating) – was more sandy. The Common Frog is, as its name suggests, widespread throughout the UK, but still, I think, a magical sight.

Canon 1Ds MkII, 1/125-250 sec, f/2.8-6.3, 70mm at ISO 500