With all this water you may have noticed the nighttime chorus of frog calls. Spring flooding and increased nighttime temperature means you will hear new species start calling that were quiet over winter. Around the Mitta Valley, during the winter months, common frogs such as the eastern sign-bearing froglet (Crinia parinsignifera) or the common eastern froglet (Crinia signifera) can be heard calling from around farm dams, creeks and wetlands. The spotted marsh frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) is also a common one to hear. The eastern banjo frog (Limnodynastes dumerilii), also known as Pobblebonk, makes a wonderful chorus of ‘bonking’ noises in late winter through to spring and summer. If you have frogs inside fence posts, down-pipes or climbing on your windows, they are most likely a Peron’s tree frog (Litoria peronii), check their back for emerald colour sparkles and their cross shaped pupil (rather than a slit). Other tree frogs include the whistling tree frog (Litoria verreauxii) and the brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii).
There are a number of other species which you may come across and the best way to find out what they are is to use the Australia Museum ‘FrogID’ app or check out the website http://www.frogid.net.au. This app is free to download and create an account. You can filter to species to ‘frogs near me’ and see pictures of them and listen to recordings of their calls. You can also submit a recording to the FrogID team and you will receive an email of what species are calling. This week is actually FrogID week and everyone is encouraged to get out in their local areas and record the frogs that are contributing to the nighttime chorus.
The Mitta Valley Landcare in collaboration with Charles Sturt University are conducting frog surveys in the Mitta Valley over the coming weeks. These are a continuation of frog surveys which were conducted in 2019 and 2020 in search of the southern bell frog (Litoria raniformis), a large and iconic frog species which is listed as endangered and hasn’t been seen in the Mitta Valley since 2009. Whilst the species hasn’t been detected in recent surveys, it is great to learn more about what species are present in the Mitta Valley to help guide conservation efforts in the region. Make sure to keep an ear out as the bell frogs have a distinct guttural call, much like a motorbike revving its engine.
We will keep you updated on the results of our surveys and if you have some interesting frogs on your property, are interested in learning more about the upcoming surveys, or just want to get in touch. Contact Anna Turner at aturner@csu.edu.au.
author: Dr Anna Turner