03-31-15 More Western Chorus Frogs

Did an official frog call survey at RiverBend tonight (the photo is of Sunset Lake from the peninsula). In my four monitoring locations I had a single lonely Western Chorus Frog in the meadow (not much water there), and he wasn't any too enthusiastic. We (my son Daniel joined me tonight!) did have an American toad cross our path and saw an American mink scurry past near the river. Also heard a couple of woodcocks. There were livelier choruses of Western Chorus Frogs in the area though and the recording is of several in a small pool along the road not far from the shelter at the boat ramp. After listening to them a bit (and recording) we shined our flashlight around the pool in hopes of catching sight of one or more. They kept right on singing, ignoring us completely, but we still couldn't spot any of them.

03-17-15 Western Chorus Frogs, My Sister and the Railroad Tracks

Every spring I have the discussion with my sister and brother-in-law as to what frogs they're hearing outside their home near the railroad tracks in Tolono. This year we finally made it official: I ventured down, my sister ventured out (brother-in-law wasn't home) and we listened in on a very nice chorus of Western Chorus Frogs in a rather compromised pool alongside the railroad tracks... until a passing freight train joined and overwhelmed the chorus. For the curious, they did not continue calling while the freight train was passing-- at least they were not calling when it was gone, and it took them probably 5-10 minutes to get going again.

03-16-15 Spring Peepers, Wood Frogs and a Couple of Loud W. Chorus Frogs

I got out tonight to check out some vernal pools in Vermilion County. There were three in close proximity. The largest was 2/3 still covered in ice, yet I found all three frog species in it (a W.Chorus frog just under the edge of the ice in fact), as well as a smallmouth salamander gliding silently and deftly through the water. The frogs were not calling in this pool though, at least not while I was there. The smallest pool had spring peepers calling and some wood frogs present, but not calling that I could see or hear. The medium pool was a hotbed of activity and both recordings are from there. The first is of a W.Chorus frog holding its own against a very strong chorus of spring peepers and wood frogs. He was positioned against a leaf sticking up out of the water, and I think it helped direct his sound toward me.



The second recording, in contrast to the huge noise of the first, is a later restart after the whole chorus fell silent. It seems the spring peepers always lead first. A couple start calling tentatively and then eventually a whole chorus builds and the woodfrogs join in. Here though is a false start.