Why have I been seeing so many frogs on the road?

[Edith Agoff]

It sounds like the lead-in to a joke, but I’m really curious about why I’ve been seeing lots of small frogs on Seavy Circle in Corvallis. They look so out-of-place in my dog-walking headlamp! Lots of them have gotten squished by car traffic after dark. Were there likely to have been just as many out in the grass, where their green coloring is better camouflage? They were numerous Friday and Saturday night, perhaps less so last night, and completely absent Sunday, when the pavement was dry. The chorus from down in the flooded portion of the creek seemed to be just as active, although I may be mistaken, in retrospect.

[Don Boucher]

Hi Edith,

It's terrible that the frogs are getting squished by traffic. Seavy Circle is very close to the Conser St. field where we recorded the frogs last Saturday (https://youtu.be/VQmfrI70QBU).

This neighborhood is very active with Pacific Chorus Frogs, which are the small frogs that you're encountering. The frogs are not out of place at all since there is prime habitat where you've been seeing them. I'm not sure why they're crossing the road. We haven't seen them crossing Conser St. I suppose they are moving from one spot to another, escaping an unfavorable change in one area or attracted to a better situation nearby.

They like flooded fields, roadside ditches, etc. where there are pools that dry out in summer. Pacific Chorus Frogs actually do best outside of permanent wetlands or ponds because they breed in seasonal pools that lack predators like fish. Invasive bullfrogs, who also eat native frogs, are also absent from seasonal pools. During the hot and dry season, Pacific Chorus Frogs estivate, a low-energy state where they wait in a protected spot for the rains in fall. Similarly, when it freezes, they find a spot to protect themselves from freezing. If you've seen them in a new area where you haven't in past years, that can be explained in that the seasonal pools change from year-to-year. Frog numbers change in different spots every year. Overall, your neighborhood has been a consistent hotspot for Pacific Chorus Frogs for many years.

-Don Boucher

NE Corvallis

On Tue, Mar 14, 2023 at 10:36 AM Edith Agoff <edith...@gmail.com> wrote:

It sounds like the lead-in to a joke, but I’m really curious about why I’ve been seeing lots of small frogs on Seavy Circle in Corvallis. They look so out-of-place in my dog-walking headlamp! Lots of them have gotten squished by car traffic after dark. Were there likely to have been just as many out in the grass, where their green coloring is better camouflage? They were numerous Friday and Saturday night, perhaps less so last night, and completely absent Sunday, when the pavement was dry. The chorus from down in the flooded portion of the creek seemed to be just as active, although I may be mistaken, in retrospect.

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[Mary Garrard]

In the vein of critters getting squashed on roads, I ran across a story about volunteers helping newts cross a road on their way to breeding grounds.

https://www.chilenovalleynewtbrigade.org/

Mary

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[Joel Geier]

Hi Mary and all,

Thanks for sharing that fun story of the California newt brigade. In the same vein (though branching out to birds in the mid-Atlantic), here's another story to warm hearts:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/icelandic-town-goes-all-out-save-baby-puffins-180981518/

Happy to say, we're also hearing tremendous numbers of Chorus-Frogs nightly now from the wetlands out on E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area. Other singing creatures in recent days have included Coyotes and today a Hutton's Vireo.

Joel

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From: "Mary Garrard" <spring...@gmail.com>
To: "Mid-Valley Nature" <mid-vall...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 2:29:55 PM
Subject: Re: [MidValleyNature:6966] Why have I been seeing so many frogs on the road?

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[Mary Garrard]

I should have specified that it was the newts that were trying to get to their breeding lake, not the volunteers😜, just in case that wasn’t clear…..

[Bill Gerth]

Hi folks,

This is great!

Here's info about a red-legged frog shuttle group in Portland...

https://www.myowf.org/harborton-frog-shuttle

Cheers,

Bill

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