Monitoring Frog Populations around the Sunshine Coast

The first several photos are taken at my property a few nights ago when a heap of Peron's Tree Frogs were calling out in a location that was easy to access.

Peron's Tree Frog

The same Peron's Tree Frog

Also called the Emerald Spotted Tree Frog

Peron's Tree Frog performing its advertisement call

The Peron's Tree Frog performing its advertisement call again

Last night a friend and I went out with Eva to do some monitoring of animals, frogs in particular at four sites around the Sunshine Coast. This is a really interesting process and is done in a scientific manner to make the research valid and accurate and is done over a period of many years to look for trends within areas and across the whole region. At each location water testing is done to test the temperature of the water, the dissolved oxygen in the water, pH of the water, and the salt concentration as well. A special device that records and detects micro bats is also used. The time and weather conditions is recorded as well as the moon cycle.

Each site has a 100 metre stretch of creek that we follow. Only animals within this zone are recorded. The distance at which they were found along the transect is recorded as well as any other information like whether it was seen or heard, the gender and size etc. Some photos and sound recordings are taken as well. Before we move into a new area our shoes are washed in a solution to kill any potential chytrid fungus that may have been picked up to ensure that it is not transferred into another system if it is present. Last night it was quite a warm night. It was very still and dark as the moon, which was at half moon was not up until later in the night. We left from my property at 6 and we continued through until approximately 1 am this morning until we returned home.

Last night we started off at a site at Cedar Creek. All the sites were easily accessible and easy to move around once within the transect,  compared to some of the sites I went to a week earlier. Heaps of species were seen at all the sites which was good for us to see. At this first site dozens of Pearson's Green Tree Frogs were seen and heard with a large range of colour variations. We also heard Great Barred Frogs, Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs and Dainty Tree Frogs within the general area.

Pearson's Green Tree Frog

The same Pearson's Green Tree Frog

The Pearson's Green Tree Frog again

Another specimen and colour variation of a Pearson's Green Tree Frog

Another specimen and colour variation of a Pearson's Green Tree Frog

After a short drive we arrived at destination number two which was on Belli Creek. This site had more species and was the nicest to visit as well. Here we saw possums, a melomy, a bandicoot, a massive carpet snake, heaps of very large spiders (15 - 20 centimetres across including the legs), a variety of other insects, several micro bats as well as a good variety of frogs.


Pearson's Green Tree Frogs were in good numbers here as well.

Pearson's Green Tree Frogs are also called Cascade Tree Frogs

Several large male Giant Barred Frogs were found here.

Giant Barred Frog

Another Giant Barred Frog

The same Giant Barred Frog as above

Many different types of insect were seen including this one which resembled a cockroach but I am unsure as to what it actually was. It was about 6 centimetres long, not including the antennae.

One of the many insects that were seen on the trip

Another shot of this large insect

Only a few Wilcox's Frogs were seen on the transect.

Wilcox's Frog

Another male Wilcox's Frog

Theses two males were fighting each other but I missed a photo of them wrestling. On they way back I did manage to get a photo and recording though. While they are wrestling they make some unusual noises that are not part of their normal call.

A male Giant Barred Frog

Another male Giant Barred Frog

Many Tusked Frogs could be heard along the creek. This female came out just as we were making our way over this shallow pool. She was most likely making her way to the males that were calling out only a few metres away. We also found a few foam nests of eggs from the Tusked Frogs along the bank too.

Tusked Frog

This carpet snake was quite impressive. Not the biggest I've seen by any means, but still a decent sized snake. It was a good 3 metres long and about 30 - 35 centimetres in circumference along the majority of its body.

Carpet Snake

Several Great Barred Frogs could be heard but we only managed to locate a couple.

Great Barred Frog

The same Great Barred Frog

On the way back we managed to capture and record the sound of the two male Giant Barred Frogs fighting.

Two male Giant Barred Frogs fighting

Two male Giant Barred Frogs fighting still

This is a short recording of the noises that the male Giant Barred Frogs were making as they were fighting.

The third site was Six Mile Creek near Cooroy. We didn't see many frogs here even though the habitat is very similar to the other 2 spots. The soil is much drier and sandier which could effect the frogs. We heard a few Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs, Dainty Tree Frogs and Tusked Frogs. We only saw one Dainty Tree Frog and a large female Giant Barred Frog.

Dainty Tree Frog

Dainty Tree Frogs are also called Graceful Tree Frogs

Large female Giant Barred Frog

The last site was Cooroora Creek. We saw many smaller, young male Giant Barred Frogs, a few very large female Giant Barred Frogs, a few Striped Marsh Frogs, Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs as well as hearing some Dainty Tree Frogs and Tusked Frogs. Some micro bats were active here as well. Several large snails and birds were also seen at this location.

Striped Marsh Frog

Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog

Large female Giant Barred Frog

Large female Giant Barred Frog from front on

It was a very rewarding night and I learnt a lot again. I was pretty exhausted from a big day on the farm and then following up with this until around 1 a.m. when we arrived back at my house, had really worn me out but I would definitely do it again. As I was going inside the door I saw I had one last frog species to photograph. One of the resident Green Tree Frogs was sitting under the light near the door getting his fill for the night. No wonder he looks so healthy and big!!

Green Tree Frog

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

A Good Night for Frogs

Last night I went out to one of the branches off Yabba Creek outside of Imbil. It was a warm night and storms were on there way in so I went out as early as I could to see if I could see or hear the frog from this area that I heard a few weeks ago. I went to the same location and I heard very few frogs at all. The creek had stopped running in this area since I was last here so this was probably the main reason for this. I could hear a couple of Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs in the trees and one Pearson's Green Tree Frog near a small body of water. I waited for about half an hour with no other calls heard or frogs seen. I decided to walk down the creek. I walked down about 200 metres to where the water was flowing again and as I approached I could hear many Pearson's Green Tree Frogs. I would have to say that I could hear well over 100 of them calling and I located about 20 or more within a 10 metre stretch of the bank. The continued to call downstream too, so there could have been many more. The best concentration of them was definitely where the water started to flow quickly again.

Just as I was about to start recording them I heard several Tusked Frogs calling out on the underside of a massive log partially in the water. There were 3 within a few metres of one another, calling out between the bark which had peeled of the trunk and the log itself. Due to their location I was unable to obtain any photos of them. I did get a recording of one calling for a short period though before my recorder went flat. I can't believe I didn't charge it up before I left!!

This is a recording of one of the Tusked Frogs calling from beneath the log. In between the parts of the Tusked Frog call, you can hear some Pearson's Green Tree Frogs calling too.

I took some photos of several different individual specimens of the Pearson's Green Tree Frogs. I could see a large variety in colour between all of the frogs within a very small area. The closer to the water they seemed to be, the darker they were. I'm not sure if this is always the case or just a coincidence. This male had stopped calling by the time I took the photos.

Pearson's Green Tree Frog on a leaf just out of the flowing water



Another Pearson's Green Tree Frog on branches about 20cm above the water

The same Pearson's Green Tree Frog from above

As I was moving towards the other side of the creek a couple of these frogs jumped out from the rocks near my feet. They were Wilcox's Frogs. This was only a small specimen that was about 2.5 - 3 cm in length. At first I was unsure due to the colour difference to the specimens that I find on my property but after looking at the photos closely I'm certain of this identification. The main reason I think that these are so different in colour to the ones that I have photographed on my property is  because these are photos of females and all the photos I have put on this blog from my house are males.

Wilcox's Frog from above

Female Wilcox's Frog



The same Female Wilcox's Frog

I was watching this Pearson's Green Tree Frog calling for quite a while and I was waiting for its air sack to inflate fully to get a photo. After watching it for more than 10 minutes I realised that when they call they do not inflate their air sack like some louder frogs do. The photos below were all taken during the advertising call of another Pearson's Green Tree Frog. I took many, many shots while it was calling and the air sack didn't inflate more than this in any shot. I watched several other specimens calling and they did not inflate their air sacks more than this during their call either. I assumed that they would inflate their air sacks like the Peron's Tree Frog and most other species that I have ever seen. This was very surprising to see. I would be interested to see if this is always the case during their call as I study them more over time.

This Pearson's Green Tree Frog was missing a little toe



Pearson's Green Tree Frog

Pearson's Green Tree Frog calling

Just as I was making my way back out of the creek to climb up to the car I saw the biggest spider that I have seen in many years. I love nature but spiders are one thing that I do not particularly enjoy seeing. If they are still I am fine but if they come towards me, climb on me or if I walk through their webs I start to panic! This spider was approximately 25cm from leg tip to leg tip!!

This spider was 25cm in length

I couldn't hear any other frogs calling out and the rain was starting to get heavier and I was unsure how much was coming so I decided to call it a night. There was no point in getting the camera wet as I have photos of all the frogs that I could see and/hear.

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

Two Vulnerable Frogs for the Sunshine Coast

Last night a friend that told me that they had heard a Northern Banjo Frog calling out at Pomona during the day. I thought that this could be a good opportunity to obtain a few better photos of this species from this area. I have seen them many times before, but usually in northern New South Wales. I have seen them on my property at Coles Creek also but I haven't seen or heard them often when out and about around the Sunshine Coast.

I made my way to the location at Pomona but was unable to hear any of the Northern Banjo Frogs. As soon as I arrived though I could hear 3 other types of frogs. Two of them I could identify easily as soon as I heard them. The first frogs that were heard were many Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs, possibly 50 or more and the second was several Giant Barred Frogs. The other call I knew was familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it for a few minutes. I knew that it was a common call at my property during the summer. After listening to it for a short period I realised that they were Tusked Frogs calling out.

Firstly we honed in on a Tusked Frog calling out to obtain a clear recording. We located this Tusked Frog very easily under a small log. We lifted the log to obtain a few photos and placed the log back once we had finished. Within a few minutes he was calling again. Tusked frogs can be identified easily by their distinctive call. The belly of Tusked Frogs is marbled black and white and the thighs are marbled red and black. These markings along with the eye patterning can identify this frog apart from others in the same area. Also male Tusked frogs often have unusually large heads compared to the rest of their body.

Tusked Frog

Male Tusked Frog

Tusked Frog from the left side

The eye pattern of the Tusked Frog is helpful in identification

Tusked Frog from above

This is a recording of a Tusked Frog calling out from beneath a log, sitting in the water at Pomona. This advertisement call can go on for quite a while and can end with a second part to the call. I stopped recording before this happened due to traffic noise and barking dogs.

By the time we had finished photographing the Tusked Frogs the Giant Barred frogs had just about finished calling. We heard one call a few times and we made our way to the general area and we spotted him. We waited for quite a while for him to call again but it didn't happen. As a result I missed obtaining a recording of them.

This Giant Barred Frog was sitting on the edge of a very steep bank about 2 or 3 meters out of the water. This is often where Giant Barred and Great Barred Frogs are found on steeper creek banks like this. You are more likely to find them on steep banks compared to flat banks on a creek. These frogs have a few obvious distinguishing features. The first is their size. They are a large frog and as far as I know they are the second biggest in Australia.

Their back has spots/patterns in varying size that are darker in colour to the brown body colour. There is a dark triangle shape on either side of the nostrils.  The eye is the most obvious feature though. Their eye is a golden colour, which is lighter on the top half, compared to the lower half of the eye. There is also a dark stripe  that travels along the snout, through the eye and comes down behind the "ear" of the frog. Barring is also obvious on the legs.

Giant Barred Frog

Giant Barred Frog from above

The same Giant Barred Frog

 

 

 

I didn't find the Northern Banjo Frogs that I went to look for but I was pleased that I got to see two of our vulnerable frog species on the Sunshine Coast. I knew the Giant Barred Frogs were at this location but I was unaware that the Tusked Frogs were also here. I have not heard them on any occasion that I have been here before.

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