Surprises and Wonder

Tonight was a night of surprises and wonder. The photo shows the meadow -- up until tonight this year a big disappointment in terms of calling frogs. To date I've heard a solitary western chorus frog give a couple of half-hearted calls a couple of times and that's it. In previous years this was an excellent location frequently with multiple species, but it seems to generally be much drier this year... until tonight!  On my way out to my most distant post I looked in at the meadow to see it before dark and was astonished to find that the river was actually running through it. I'd never seen anything like this here.  Surprise #1.  Surprise #2 -- when I came back through to listen for frogs after sunset, I heard four species here, one of which should have been done calling last month at the latest -- the western chorus frogs, and there were at least two competing for attention here.  This has me thinking that although it's a bit late, things have been so dry in this area of the preserve that at least a couple of them are behaving opportunistically.  Good luck guys! Surprise #3 -- 7 species tonight (thanks in part to the western chorus frogs calling out of season).

In addition to the western chorus frogs, there were American toads out there somewhere, a plains leopard frog not too far away, and an eastern gray tree frog calling from a tree somewhere nearby. All are audible in the recording below.  But before I sign off, the wonder:  the lightening bugs were amazing tonight. I really wanted to capture the beauty of the spectacle but didn't have anything to do it justice.  It was a show just for me and God.

05-28-15 Finally a Nice Variety!

Finally a great outing for frog calls this year. There were cricket frogs at the east penninsula with fowler's toads in the distance, still disappointingly nothing in the meadow, fowler's toads and a cricket frog and a plains leopard frog calling at the river (though there had actually been a good chorus of plains leopard frogs calling when I arrived but they stopped and didn't start up again during my official listening period), then cricket frogs, a plains leopard frog, and a bull frog at the boat ramp with fowler's toads and eastern gray tree frogs audible in the distance. This recording is at the river featuring fowler's toads and a cricket frog:



This is near the boat ramp, featuring cricket frogs, with distant eastern gray tree frogs and fowler's toads and a bullfrog. There are also a couple of guest solos by a distant coyote:

7-30-08 Riverbend Forest Preserve, Champaign County, IL

My last survey outing of the year on July 30th was notable for finding more E. Gray Tree Frogs more widely spread than I have there before-- most notably one callng from the edge of the meadow and another from quite nearby from among the trees between the meadow and the path. The recording is of a chorus of E. Gray Tree frogs accompanied by katydids in the foreground and other insects in the background. These were in roadside puddles actually outside of the preserve on the road leading to the gate.

7-7-08 Riverbend Forest Preserve, Champaign County, IL

In spite of heavy rains earlier in the day, the water levels were the lowest I've seen them this year. The shallows actually had the normal land emerging from the water (and three bucks with velveted antlers crossing it when I got there). Mostly cricket frogs there, but a solitary bull frog also; spotted what I think was a small plains leopard frog in a puddle near the shallows. The meadow belongs to the fireflies now. On my way out to the shallows I stopped by-- the water that's been there all year was quite low now and, to my surprise a dozen or more small dead fish were floating in it. A solitary unidentified frog or toad hopped into the water as I arrived. Listening later I heard a single cricket frog (quite a contrast to the June 17 recording below) and scattered Fowler's toads. There were American toads and, I think, Fowler's toads at a distance-- possibly from across the river somewhere.

Frog call survey highlight of the evening, however, were the E. Gray Tree Frogs. Two were calling from the drainage area off the boat ramp parking lot-- dualing tree frogs. The recording is of them. Leaving the preserve I was treated to a massive chorus of E. Gray Tree Frogs calling from standing water on land belonging to the gravel quarry.