Frogs, Frogs, and.... more Frogs! *pics*

[Removed_2815]

Hello all,
Well it's 3 o'clock in the morning and I just got back from a solo mission to the marsh behind my house. In all the years I've lived here I have never gone back there to inspect the constant barrage of frog calls this time of year. Despite the stinking methane emissions and freezing cold water it was well worth it (picture me in the middle of a swamp in the middle of the night, with my shorts hiked up like underwear, and a flashlight in my mouth so I could work the camera - quite a sight I'd imagine...).

Here are the pics:
Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor):
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Gray%20Treefrog.JPG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Gray%20Treefrog%202.JPG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Gray%20Treefrog%203.JPG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Gray%20Treefrog%204.JPG

A pair in amplexus:
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Amplexus.JPG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Amplexus%202.JPG

This guy was dead for no apparent reason (no physical trauma at all... weird). He was just floating on the vegetation:
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Gray%20Treefrog%20Dead.JPG

My favourite find of the night, a Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata) (this one cost me an hour's worth of standing in the water waiting for a call so I could take a step in his direction - a tediously long process) *note the white stripe on the lip - characteristic of the Chorus Frogs:
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Western%20Chorus%20Frog.JPG

Finally, here's a pesky little Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer). It's interesting to note how these guys respond to my attempt to mimic their calls. They quiet down when you approach (so they become hard to locate) but I can get them to return my calls so that I can locate them, works every time - very neat behaviour....
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Spring%20Peeper.JPG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Spring%20Peeper%201.JPG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/Folder/Spring%20Peeper%202.JPG

I hope you enjoyed! I have to go wash up now 'cuz I stink.....
Cheers,
Ryan

P.S. I also made some amazing sound recordings and videos; I might post them one day.....
Edit: Here (http://home.cogeco.ca/~rbolton1/) is a link to a video, just right-click the Gray Treefrog file and save it to your hard-drive. It's ASF so it might not work on all computers.

[Swampwalker]

Excellent photos Ryan. Unfortunately I haven't had time to go out froggin yet. I did find a grey tree frog last nght and there are tons of them calling.

[ReptiliansDOTca]

Alright so, as if a man, up at three in the morning wearing shorts rolled up like underwear in the middle of the water, holding a flashlight in his mouth is not a funny image in itself, we have to picture a man, up at three in the morning wearing shorts rolled up like underwear in the middle of the water, holding a flashlight in his mouth, making frog calls! LOL!

[susan]

awsome pics

[Edwin]

those are great pics, thanks for sharing

[Matt_K]

Awesome pics Ryan.. The video was pretty cool too man! Thanks for sharing that.

[nguyen_inc]

really nice pics you took, I really like the second pic of the pair.

[Matt]

very nice pics ryan!

[Ontario_herper]

Good stuff Ryan! I got some killer fowlers shots this past week. I was able to get an inch from the toad while it was calling.