Pacific Chorus Frogs!

[Don Boucher]

Hello,

On Saturday night Lisa and I recorded some video of Pacific Chorus Frogs croaking.

https://youtu.be/VQmfrI70QBU

The little red-orange things swimming around are water mites, either genus Eylais or the genus Hydrachna. We've encountered the mites before in the area and their identification was sorted out in previous Mid-Valley Nature discussions.

Don Boucher

NE Corvallis

[Bill Gerth]

Hi Don,

Thanks for sharing the video!

Any tips on sneaking up on the frogs so you can observe them in person. They usually hear or see me coming and then stop calling so they are hard for me to find.

Thanks,

Cheers,

Bill

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[Don Boucher]

Hi Bill,

I recommend locating a spot that you've previously identified that has a loud chorus. After sunset works best, even though there are choruses during the day, nighttime is best. More frogs sing for longer periods at night and it's easier to approach them at night without disturbing them. Some spots may seem like good natural frog habitat but sometimes the frogs have their own agenda. Roadside ditches, along railroad tracks back lots. Ours was the field next to NE Conser St. In our case we needed waterproof boots. Of course you have to use a publicly-accessible spot or have permission if on private land.

We walked toward our selected frog pool and slowly approached. They did stop croaking and hid once we got there but we then waited quietly for about 5-10 minutes for them to start up again. A frog chorus will spontaneously cycle through loud chorus moments, lasting about 10 minutes and then quieting for 5 or 10 minutes, even if not disturbed. A little patience is prudent. Lisa held the spotlight and I stood with a video camera on a tripod. The frogs don't mind the bright light but we didn't make any sudden movements or suddenly turn the light on or off. We turned the light on while pointing upward, so the frogs didn't notice any sudden change, and then slowly lowered the light. We slowly panned around, kinda like flashlight Tai Chi, to search for a frog to focus on.The process is reminiscent of looking for tree crickets to record.

We were about 20-30 feet away from the frogs, and since they are small, we needed a telephoto lens. You can get closer but that makes it more difficult to avoid disturbing them.

-Don Boucher

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[Bill Gerth]

Thanks so much, Don!

Those sound like great tips! I'll give them a try.

Cheers,

Bill

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