The rain stopped and the ground was covered with a new layer of snow on Sunday morning. The spring sun melted it quickly but the air remained cold and windy. I went to a wooded area that offered some protection from the weather and was surprised to see how much snow was still packed on some of the trails. I was walking a new section of the trail and heard a sound I could not identify in the distance. It sounded like some machinery that was grinding repetitively.
As I approached a familiar section of the woods, I came across a vernal pool in an area where I had only seen marsh grasses in the fall. What a racket! I had never heard anything like this at 2:30 in the afternoon. I know virtually nothing about frogs and amphibians. The water was full of frogs (what kind??). I thought Spring Peepers were tree frogs, but I saw none out of the water. I have made a two minute video recording what I heard and saw today. There was more than one kind of frog sound.
Any help in identifying the occupants of this pond would be most welcome!
Thanks to Jennifer Schlick from A Passion for Nature for identifying the Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs heard on the video. She has recommended this site for learning more about various frog species in the north eastern part of North America. You can listen to their voices as well.
Good heavens, a noise like chalk on blackboard with respect to raising the hair on the back of one's neck. Getting the full nature experience here at your blog for sure.
ReplyDeleteWe'd hear a similar racket near where we used to live. I used to marvel at how they'd all stop simultaneously, leaving only silence.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! That is some noise for sure, esp. for 2:30 in the afternoon. Hopefully Monarch can shed some light on it?
ReplyDeleteThose are definitely Spring Peepers. They ARE tree frogs, but all of our frogs must go to water to mate and lay eggs. The adults will return to the trees once they grow legs... I had expected to also hear Wood Frogs... another forest species. They sound more like a cross between barking and quacking. But all I hear in your video is peepers. Learn your frog calls here. (The NY frogs should be mostly the same species you get in Ontario, I would think...)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nwf.org/FrogWatchUSA/frogs_state.cfm?showstate=ny#frogs
WAIT! I just listened again! There ARE wood frogs in the mix!
ReplyDeleteWhat a racket! But nice to know they are alive and peeping. I don't know if we have any frogs around here ... have never heard any ... close to where we live anyway.
ReplyDeleteRuth,
ReplyDeleteI hear a combination of those sounds on my backyard pond, believe it or not. Sometimes on warm nights we need to close the windows and doors in order to hear ourselves talk or listen to the TV. I heard them last week during two warm nights - toads and mating calls. To me, it's a welcome sound of spring :o)
Wow, the noise!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, thanks for sharing great information, pics and vids :)
My favorite is the picture of the frog surfacing among the submerged leaves. :)
ReplyDeleteI finally heard spring peepers here too (on Sunday 4/13).
ReplyDeleteNow it's finally spring.....
Wonderful video, Ruth. It certainly was a loud "chorus" - felt like I was there, too. But nice to hear the frogs.
ReplyDeleteSorry I couldn't help with this one! I tried to get the video to run but still having internet problems! Glad Jen was able to help out~!
ReplyDeleteFMDoc- You deal with the full nature experience too in your own way :-)
ReplyDeleteK&M- There was no silencing this crowd even when I walked to the edge of the water.
Jayne- I was most surprised that this was going on in the middle of the day. I thought frogs were nocturnal.
Jennifer-Thanks!!
CS- If you do run into them sometime you will know what they are. I don't know how I have missed this in the past.
Mary- Your pond is the most wonderful place. I love your newest post!
Mel- It is great to share and learn with other bloggers.
Ginger- That was the first frog I recognized, then I saw hundreds. They were well hidden in the water.
Ruthie- I will be checking them each spring now myself.
April- Thanks. Aren't digital cameras wonderful!?
Monarch- I hope you internet problems get fixed soon.
Ruth,
ReplyDeleteI have never heard frogs like that in the daytime. When I was a child on the farm, we used to hear the frogs like this at night, but not through the day. This is awesome. Thanks so much for sharing.
Blessings,
Mary