Maggie's Farm

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Monday, April 5. 2021

Sounds of early Springtime amphibian marsh courtship, reposted

Mrs. BD and I took a 5-mile woodsy hike last weekend and passed many vernal pools and small ponds with the early springtime chorus.


Like owls, you hardly ever see these critters but they let you know they are there in April. Mating calls of common early Spring frogs of vernal pools and shallow marshes:


The tiny Spring Peepers dominate the chorus. Man, have I loved that sound since earliest childhood: 





You will probably hear a few Wood Frogs:









You might hear a Cricket Frog:








 And the mating trill of Mr, Toad: Bufo Americanus:







And if lucky, the trill of the Grey Tree Frog







Posted by Bird Dog in Natural History and Conservation at 17:03 | Comments (14) | Trackbacks (0)

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My childhood home bordered a swamp, so I became very familiar with the sound of the spring peepers, which to me became the harbinger of spring. I also loved the sound.
#1 Gringo on 2017-04-08 22:28 (Reply)
Haha! Yup, the amphibian chorus is coming from the adjoining woods. I love 'em. They don't eat my raspberries, holly, and everything else I plant like the deer and rabbits, they don't bite me and transmit deadly diseases like the ticks and mosquitoes, they don't eat all my grapes and berries like the stupid birds that hang out here--they just sing to me. What great friends!
#2 Gene on 2017-04-08 23:18 (Reply)
What's really fun is playing all four tracks at once.
#3 Frances on 2017-04-09 23:49 (Reply)
Spring Peepers
gossiping romance;
springtime swamp.
#4 Blick on 2018-04-15 18:37 (Reply)
I live out in the woods of WNC. We have a small branch running through our property and, ten years ago after a forest fire, we had a dam built so we would have some firefighting water. It's a small pond, but the very next year, the frogs showed up. Thousands of them. Also, water snakes, kingfishers, and blue herons. We love to hear the frog serenade in the evening, but where did they all come from?
#5 snopercod on 2018-04-15 20:24 (Reply)
When I was a wee tyke staying at my grandparent's home in Framingham, they had a 33LP record from the Audubon Society called, "Voices in the Night" which we used to listen to repeatedly. A recitation of species by the narrator, followed by examples of the calls in nature. Eventually it would drive my grandmother nuts and she would place the record on a time-out. I think she had gotten it as a token gift from a donation.

Now in Texas, we have nearby wetlands and on the warm nights the peepers are already competing with the owls and the coyotes.
#6 Aggie on 2018-04-15 23:00 (Reply)
Bird stuff.
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
#7 RL on 2018-04-16 00:06 (Reply)
I have always loved the sound of peepers. It puts me to sleep in the warm weather nights.
#8 RebeccaH on 2018-04-16 11:37 (Reply)
Years ago, we built a pond on our wooded property. Shortly thereafter, the frogs appeared and started singing as on the videos. Where did they come from??? Same question for the Kingfishers and Herons. How do they know?
#9 snopercod on 2021-04-05 18:32 (Reply)
Here in Florida, we got gators. Your peepers don't stand a chance here.
#10 Stargazer on 2021-04-05 19:04 (Reply)
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/creedenceclearwaterrevival/greenriver.html
#11 jack on 2021-04-05 19:54 (Reply)
The peepers and frogs have been busy in our adjoining lowland since early March. Really, just a couple of weeks after Freez-ama-geddon they started up. Between them, the barred owls, and the freight train whistles at the crossings a few miles away, we get a nice homey concert every night.
#12 Aggie on 2021-04-05 20:25 (Reply)
The peepers are peeping their heads off (not easy to do, when you don't have a neck) every mild night these days. Then we have the crickets, and finally the katydids, which to me are saying that summer will be ending soon.

The last couple of years there has been a Gray Tree Frog that hangs out during the day inside my folded-up patio umbrella. Looking it up, I was surprised that that was the best name that they could come up with for it. Kind of like the "Green Snake". Very informative, if you're color-blind.
#13 Hairless Joe on 2021-04-06 09:36 (Reply)
A delightful post! I've always loved the sound of the spring peeps.
And who knew there was such a thing as a Gay Tree Frog?
#14 SteveS on 2021-04-06 14:00 (Reply)

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