Kildare County Council asks Public to Record Sightings of the Common Frog across County Kildare
Are there any Frogs in County Kildare?
19th February 2026: Kildare County Council, in partnership with the Irish Peatlands Conservation Council (IPCC), is seeking the public’s help to paint a clearer picture of how frogs are faring across the county. Members of the public are asked to record any sightings of the various stages of the common frog’s lifecycle, including frog spawn, tadpoles, froglets, or adult frogs, in their own gardens or the wider local community.
Only seventeen records of common frog sightings were received from Kildare in 2025. To ascertain if this means that the common frog population in County Kildare is in decline, members of the public are asked to become citizen scientists and take part in ‘Hop To It’, Irelands longest running frog survey.
Reflecting on the importance of every sighting, Meabh Boylan, Biodiversity Officer, Kildare County Council said: “Many people in Ireland carry vivid memories of early childhood encounters with frogs and I am no different. I remember being on a family trip to a local wetland in springtime; the pond margin was a frenzy of dozens of frogs and masses of frog spawn. Being so young, and not fully understanding what was afoot, I recall screaming to my parents in disbelief “this one has two heads”!
Such encounters, although often personally exciting, educational, and potentially formative regarding developing a connection with the natural world, may seem incidental in the broader scheme of things. However, we now know that these individual encounters can contribute to so much more. By capturing small pieces of information, many people together can create powerful datasets that help scientists understand the environment, track changes over time, and support better decision making for nature and biodiversity”.
While easily recognised and well known, the common frog (Rana temporaria) is Ireland’s only frog species and, contrary to its name, is listed as a vulnerable species across Europe and is legally protected under the European Union Habitats Directive and the Irish Wildlife Act. The common frog is also considered a biological indicator of environmental health, as their smooth moist skin is very sensitive to pollution and the presence or absence of frogs in an area can tell us a lot about our environment.
Annually monitoring the distribution and population of the Common Frog across Ireland supports our national efforts to protect the common frog and understand our local environment quality.
Sightings of the various stages of the common frog's lifecycle, including frog spawn, tadpoles, froglets or adult frogs can be submitted to:
- The Irish Peatland Conservation Council at ipcc.ie , by e-mail to bogs@ipcc.ie or by calling 045-860133.
- National Biodiversity Data Centre at https://records.biodiversityireland.ie/start-recording
