Posted by: "Danny Meltzer"
> Robin,
>
> a cursory listen to Walter's site makes me think mine are indeed
> Barking Tree Frogs...
>
> Walter if you care to officiate...feel free
Sorry Danny, I agree with Robin. I'd not listened to your recordings due
to file size but took a listen to the recording in question just now, or
part of it anyway. It's Green Frogs - Rana clamitans. It's their
location or territorial call depending on how you interpret it. Not a
breeding call, they give it almost year round down here. They are more
or less saying "I'm here, this is my spot". Only the very beginning of
my ID clip on this frog has this call, the rest is breeding calls.
Barking Treefrogs where you recorded this would have been a find, about
the only area they have been reported in Maryland is on the eastern
shore along the Delaware line about half way down that line as far as I
know. They have also been reported in northern Delaware, and a couple
counties in S Virginia. I'm not a great fan of disjunct populations like
that and I suspect some searching can connect those dots and also
connect them to the main body in N. Carolina and southward.
I expanded the known Barking Treefrog territory in GA greatly. I'm
pretty sure they got over the fall line into the Piedmont due to logging
on the fall line. (provided the small pools they like for breeding) I
documented them over quite a bit of the Piedmont. Barking treefrog
calls, once you know them, are very distinctive. I can pick them out
just by the faint pulse of their call rhythm in the background ambiance
at over a mile. I've gotten a identifiable recording of them with the
Telinga at that distance. But most people have to be much, much closer.
They do not occur in every pond, just certain ones are blessed with
these frogs. Not completely sure why. The end of the clip I have up in
the frog pages is the most dense Barking TF calling I've ever found. The
pond, which was hidden sounded paved with calling barking treefrogs. And
it was a unknown location until I reported it and added another GA
county to their list.
You do have to get out well into the night to hunt them. They often
don't start until it's been dark for a while. I suspect that's why they
are often missed, people quit listening too early.
Walt
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