If
you want to be an instant expert, learning frog and toad calls is the way to
go.
Chances are, you probably have a dozen or fewer species living in your
area, so you can't get too confused. Better yet, frogs and toads
start calling one or two at a time --- first the peepers and chorus
frogs, then the Wood Frogs and toads, then the summer frogs. By
the time July rolls around, you'll know them all!
But you'd
better hit the
woods now or you'll miss the
early
callers. I captured our Wood Frogs in the embedded video last
week, and I expect the high trill of the American Toads to join the
chorus any day now.
I like to
scout likely
puddles, ponds, and marshy areas during daylight, then head out after
dark to hear the calls at their peak. All it takes to learn frog
calls is a wet night over 50 degrees Fahrenheit and a flashlight.
If you want to
brush up
on your calls before you go out, the Patuxet Wildlife Research
Center has
a fun
frog quiz --- you select your state and the site will test you on all
of the local species. I had trouble getting those sound files to
work, though, and had better luck with the Frogs and Toads of
Tennessee website.
Do you have a
favorite
online source for frog and toad calls? Leave a comment and let us
know.
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