The sweet sound of frog songs

The recent atmospheric rivers have brought out new visitors to the Deviled Eggery. We have heard frog calls in the evening, males singing their hearts and vocal sacs out to attract mates - something we did not hear last year even though we had a huge amount of rain. One morning during a heavy rain we looked out at the vegetable garden and saw a small frog swimming in a bucket of water. 

This little amphibian was most likely our native pacific chorus frog or Sierran tree frog. These are the frogs you are most likely to hear on the west coast. The number of species in this genus is disputed by researchers and some of the information online is mixed up between the species. The colors can be quite varied, and can change in response to their environment. However, they all have a dark stripe that starts at the nose and runs across the eye. They often make a sound pretty close to the classic “ribbit” but other times make a longer creaking sound. These frogs typically hunt for insects on the ground at night, but can be active at any time and found in a variety of environments. 

After observing the frog for a few minutes, we realized it did not appear to have a way to jump out of the bucket so we put a small board in there to offer an exit path. It quickly crawled onto the board and rested a bit. Escape ramps are often placed in pools and stock tanks to assist wildlife back to safety. If you have a pool or stock tank on your property, consider adding this type of escape route to help wildlife return to their habitat.

Learn more about this species here.