Strange Time of Year to be Out

This week I have seen several frog species out on the property that I normally only see during late Spring, Summer and early April. Also over the last week many moths, bugs and other small insects have been out around the lights. I can't remember ever seeing so many insects out at night in the middle of Winter. Three nights ago the amount of insects around the veranda lights looked like a bad night for insects during summer. Anyway back to the frogs.

Three nights ago I heard several Tyler's Tree Frogs calling out but I wasn't feeling too well so I didn't go down into the paddock to look for them to photograph. I was very surprised to hear them at this time of year but I wasn't too sure about their habits on my property as earlier this year was the first time that I have heard them here. The following night I didn't hear any calling out but I did hear numerous Peron's Tree Frogs calling out from the general area where they are found during the wet season as well as many Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs calling out near the dam. Also hundreds of Eastern Sign-bearing Froglets could be heard from all directions.

Last night I was feeling a lot better so I went down with the camera to get some shots. The Peron's Tree Frogs were out in good numbers again. I found that they have moved about 80m from their Summer area as that creek has dried up. The new place is near a shallow waterhole that holds water until mid Spring. The photos are only of two different specimens as the other six or so that I could see were too high in the tree to photograph. I didn't hear the Tyler's Tree Frogs again last night. The Northern Dwarf Tree Frogs were only calling out for a short time after dark and then they stopped calling so I missed getting photos of them.

Peron's Tree Frog from behind

Peron's Tree Frog

Peron's Tree Frog or Emerald Spotted Tree Frog

Left side view of the Peron's Tree Frog

Right side view of the Peron's Tree Frog

Male Peron's Tree Frog calling



Partially inflated air sac of the Peron's Tree Frog



Fully inflated air sac of the Peron's Tree Frog while calling

This is a recording of some of the Peron's Tree Frogs calling out on the property. Throughout the whole recording you can also hear many Eastern Sign-bearing Froglets calling out.




After getting some good shots of the Peron's Tree Frog I thought I might try and find the other froglet. I have looked for them before but have failed to find them. Last night I was very lucky to find a few very easily. The Eastern Sign-bearing Froglets could be heard all around. I haven't ever identified them for certain on the property but I hear them constantly all year round. This year they seem to be in particularly large numbers. I went to where the water was very shallow and the ground had less cover so they would be easier to find. They are small in size (about 1.5cm long), and they usually like to sit partially submerged in the water at the base of grass, which makes them even more difficult to see, as well as their camouflage. I found one nearly instantly, then I found one jumping out in the open chasing a small bug and another jumping out from beneath my feet at the edge of the water.

This takes the total number of species of frogs seen on my property now to 26 in the last 3 years and 17 of those have been photographed for the blog this year! I must apologise for adding an extra species of frog that I had recorded on the property in a few of the last blogs. I had recorded one species incorrectly in my records. I just noticed that one list had 26 and the other had 27. After checking both lists I can say that there are 26 that have definitely been seen on the property.

Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet

The second Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet sighted

An Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet having dinner

This Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet bit off more than it could chew

The third Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet

Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet from the left side

Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet

Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet from above

This is a recording of some of the Eastern Sign-bearing Froglets calling out on the property.

As I was taking the last photos of the Eastern Sign-bearing Froglets I heard very low, deep sound that I have heard before. You had to listen very carefully to be able to hear it. I jumped up excitedly when I remembered where I had heard it. It was the sound that I thought the Wilcox's Frog was making a few months ago. I didn't think to look or even consider that I would find them even though I was in the very small area where they are located between the two dams. Tonight it was much clearer than last time, as more frogs were making the sound.

After hearing the call I looked around to see if I could even see any of the Wilcox's Frogs. Much to my surprise I saw at least 15 on the one side of the bank closest to me. The noise stopped again so I wasn't certain if it was them. Over the next 30 minutes I pin pointed a couple of the Wilcox's Frogs and listened and waited. A few times they began to call but each time my camera went to take the photo the light made them stop calling. I managed to get a recording of their call which quite clear and several photos but I need to get a video of it if possible, but I don't have one!

The first Wilcox's Frog that was sighted

Wilcox's Frog

An attempt to capture the Wilcox's Frog calling

In any of my frog books (which are recently published) that I have, it says that no call is recorded or it is unknown for this species and any Internet site that I look on has the call for the Wilcox's Frog the same as Lesueur's Frog or Stony Creek Frog. Often they are still called the same frog, which is not the case any more. A while ago I know they were classified as the same species. The calls that I recorded for them are quite different to the Lesueur's Frog calls that I can find online. After speaking with a few frog experts over the last few days I have found that their call is known and has been recorded but possibly not that common, especially online, due to how audible the call is.

This is the recording of the Wilcox's Frog calling on my property at Coles Creek. The Eastern Sign-bearing Froglets are calling out throughout the recording also. This is at least four of the Wilcox's Frogs calling out at the same time. It is the faint rumbling/gurgling sound in the background that can be heard for the entire recording.

More pics and updates when more frogs are photographed and recorded.

Pearson's Green Tree Frogs near Imbil

Last night I went with a friend to look for owls and other night birds just outside of Imbil and we managed to find a few common species but we also heard the Pearson's Green Tree Frogs calling out again. They were calling out at one of the crossings just out of town. These were very different in colour from the Pearson's Green Tree Frogs that we photographed at Charlie Moreland a few weeks ago.

While we were there we also heard one other frog call out twice from not to far into the bush. I have not heard a frog call like that before, so I would be interested in locating it at some point. While we were looking for the Pearson's Green Tree Frogs we noticed many tadpoles in the water. There were many average sized tadpoles in the water but we also saw 15 or more of these very large tadpoles. The body of these tadpoles was about 1 1/2cm across and about 2 1/2 - 3cm long, not counting the tail. I am unsure what type of frog these tadpoles could turn into, to be this size and at this time of year.

There were at least 6 individual frogs calling out in the area. All of the photographs below are of the one specimen. While we were looking around for the Pearson's Green Tree Frogs we noticed these two spiders close together on the stones. Both of these spiders were about 8cm across including their legs.

The first spider that was spotted

 

 

This spider has lost two of his legs

 

 

 

Pearson's Green Tree Frog

Pearson's Green Tree Frog from above

Also known as the Cascade Tree Frog

Pearson's Green Tree Frog from the left side

Also called Pearson's Tree Frog

The same Pearson's Green Tree Frog

Pearson's Green Tree Frog again

Pearson's Green Tree Frog from the right side

This is the call of the Pearson's Green Tree Frog near Imbil.

Over the coming weeks I hope to get back out to this site to see if I can hear these other frogs calling out again and hopefully obtain a recording or even a photograph.

More pics and updates when more frogs are photographed and recorded.

Pearson's Green Tree Frog at Charlie Moreland

Last night a friend and I went out to the Charlie Moreland Campground, which is a few kilometres south of Kenilworth, to do some bird watching. We walked down to the edge of Little Yabba Creek. When we arrived we heard many frogs calling out. Most of them sounded very familiar, so we didn't look around for them. I am sure they were Copper-backed Toadlets. Directly below us though I heard another frog call, that I have not heard before. In the general area we could hear at least 5 males calling out.

I got several good photos of the frog and managed to get a recording of his call as well. He wasn't very active until the other frogs began to call out in the area again and then he started to move around a lot more and even jump around. We did notice that the frog changed in colour significantly from the time we arrived to the time we left. When we first spotted the frog it was very bright and the pattern on its back was very obvious. After a few minutes it had turned very dark in colour, which made the pattern on its back harder to distinguish.


This frog is called Pearson's Green Tree Frog. Thanks to the people that helped me identify this frog correctly. I did not consider this to be the frog at first as it is not generally this colour. It is generally green in colour, hence the name. The frog also goes by the names Cascade Tree Frog and Mountain Stream Frog.

Pearson's Green Tree Frog from the right side

 

Pearson's Green Tree Frog from the left side

 

Also called the Cascade Tree Frog

 

The same Pearson's Green Tree Frog from above

 

A Pearson's Green Tree Frog partially submerged in the water

 

Another Pearson's Green Tree Frog

 



Another Pearson's Green Tree Frog sitting in very shallow water

 



Also called the Mountain Stream Frog

  

 

This is the recording of the Pearson's Green Tree Frog calling out at Little Yabba Creek just above the fast flowing water.

 

 

 

 

More pics and updates when more frogs are photographed and recorded.