Another great night! I’m so glad I bought the chest waders because I’ve been able to see so much diversity in this pond then if I was just walking around the perimeter. Temps were in the upper 60s during the day and went into the 50s at night. It was nice to get there before sundown for a change, but I found that it is much easier moving about when it is dark. When it is dark, I follow the deer trails which really stick out. For the most part they don’t go through pricker bushes. Frogs don’t seem to mind a flashlight at night but a whole pond will go silent if they see you walking close by. I cannot wait until the Green frogs start calling. I have recorded a pond full of them doing their aggressive or warning call when a raccoon was scrounging around, but shining a flash light on them just quiets them down until they get used to it. I finally saw some fish in the pond, looked like some small Crappies, maybe 4″ tops. The highlight of the night was the Spiny Softshell turtle that I almost stepped on! It was an adult with an 18″ or so shell. A little bigger then the 6 snapping turtles I saw sharing the pond. I immediately knew what it was because of the longer snout, smooth shell and color pattern. It was among the vegetation mat so the only good shot was of it’s head through a clearing. The Pickerels are still calling strong, though one Leopard frog missed the party and called sporadically. Peepers all over, a few Grey Tree frogs and a Green frog occasionally. Buy the vernal pool, I only heard one Midland Chorus frog. The American toads were calling stronger from the vernal pool in the old canal bed and from a vernal pool a little deeper in the woods. The were calling so strong from the pond when the weather broke 2 weeks ago, and I had to wonder if all of the snappers and softshell turtles picked them off. Unlike the Pickerels and Leopards, the toads would call from more open areas. With songs that can last 10 second or longer, I’m positive the snappers would be able to easily locate them. Toads also create a visible sound pressure wave on the surface of the water when they call. It has to be like a bright blinky advertising light to anything in the vicinity!

Male Spring Peeper. This one stopped calling before I took the picture. You can tell because his air sac under his jaw is deflated.

One of 6 Snapping turtles hanging out in the pond. They were all found where the frogs were calling from. LIVE ACTION!

Here’s a Pickerel frog calling from inside a canopy of cat tail leaves.

This one is a Soft shell Turtle. It can be differentiated from the snapping pictures by the elongated head, yellow stripes and longer snout. It was a real good size and a complete surprise, as they are uncommon in this area. I have only seen them in the Hocking Hills area.

Nose to nose with a Pickerel frog.

This one is a female Bull frog. The female’s ears are about the same size as their eyes. Good luck getting this close during the day!

I saw several Red Spotted Newts in the pond.

The Pickerel frogs air sacs are by the cheeks, unlike a Spring Peeper or American Toad whose are under their jaw.

A leopard frog with some bright green coloring. They are finished calling and the Pickerels are now going strong. Leopards have rounded random spots and Pickerel frogs have more squarish spots in rows down their backs.

This snapping turtle came by to check me out. It would move closer when I would move. When it was about a foot away, it got spooked and went nose first into the vegetation and mud. I think this is why Turtle Man can catch them bare handed in the swamps, because he reaches under the tail where they can’t swing around and get him. I wasn’t about to try, I have enough problems with my feet working anymore, I don’t need to go loosing fingers!

A Leopard that’s still hanging around

A Pickerel that is calling, showing the cheek air sacs

I’m fascinated with how each season unfolds and comparing it to previous years. I have been monitoring a small area this year comprising of 1 semi-permanent pond and 2 vernal pools. The pond has been a blast because I broke out the chest waders and I’m getting up close and personal! The Leopard frogs are finished and the Pickerels have taken their place, though still I see some Leopards chilling on the vegetation. They call from the same areas of floating cat-tail mats or coves created by vegetation leaves and surrounded by water. Peepers are ever present and Midland Chorus choruses are almost absent now. The American toads that were calling last week have all but disappeared and there is a group of 6-8 calling from an entirely different location. It seems they are on the prowl now and are hopping all over the towpath. Occasionally a solitary Grey Treefrog and a Green frog will make their presence known, but very sporadically. I haven’t seen any sign of fish in this larger pond and didn’t see the snapping turtle this time. Here’s some pics from last night.

A Pickerel and a potential meal

Their camouflage works pretty well

Wanted to get pics up from last night, will give explanations and sound clips this weekend! Heard 1 Grey Treefrog, some aggravated Green Frogs, American Toads are calling strong, Peepers everywhere, surprisingly not many Midland Chorus Frogs, Pickerels started and Leopard Frogs winding down.

Bull frog

Leopard frog

Spring Peeper

Pickerel frog

The pond at nnight

Snapping turtle I was stalking

American Toad

Midland Painted Turtle stalking me!

Another view

I went out last night following a day that dropped 2″ of rain hoping to hear a Spadefoot toad in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  I’m pretty sure I heard them calling 3 years ago at this time following a low that passed through, but no luck. Of course I didn’t have any recording equipment with me back then…  It would be a significant find for CVNP as we are well out of their range and the watersheds they are found in are separate.  Spadefoots are Ohio’s only endangered frog and do not follow a defined mating season like the rest of our frogs, but seem to be triggered by climate events. I was also surprised to only hear Peepers and Chorus frogs, though the Chorus frogs were far lower in number then my previous observation. The ponds and pools were much deeper of course. Many of the vernal pools were knee deep and where the ponds banks were previously defined are knee deep as well. No other frogs were calling, even the colony of leopard frogs I’ve been recording were silent. The place that had more activity was the pond just north of Red Lock. It has been drying out earlier then what I have seen in years past, filling in with vegetation and pretty much void of any strong chorusing. So the result, lots of rain and not many frog species calling… but always a rush to get out and observe!

I think it is a flycatcher of some sort and was sleeping near a small bridge.

Juvi Bullfrog inside the lock.

Green frog in the lock.

Leopard frog in the pond North of Red Lock.

Highs in the upper 60’s during the day made this evening a solid night for monitoring some local ponds. I came prepared with chest waders, so no more leaky boots like Sat. night! With Leopard frogs calling already, I thought I would focus on them tonight. Leopard frogs call while partially submerged and they have a unique growl followed by several grunts. Their call doesn’t carry as far as peepers and their vocal pouches run along their cheeks and extend beyond their shoulders similar to Wood frogs which are also calling now. The eggs are at the surface of the water and when first laid, appear as clumps vs. strings like the American toad.

Leopard frog egg mass.

The spots on the Leopard frog vary from individual to individual.

Not sure what the bumps on this fellows vocal sack indicate.

Good thing the chest waders have built in boots with thick soles!

This little one was making it’s way across the towpath.

I believe this is a fishing spider, note the air bubble. It has a built in air tank!

I went to Red lock in the Cuyahoga Valley tonight. The main pond was all but silent with 1 Wood frog calling. The vernal pools to the east had Wood frogs and Chorus frogs. There are 2 ponds and 1 vernal pool North East of the main pond, each had a diffent species calling and all had Spring Peepers. The first had mainly Chorus, the next had Peepers and Leopard an the last had Wood frogs. I have never heard Leopard calling so soon. We are only 2 days into 50 degree weather and the last stretch above 40 degrees was for 2 days ending on March 11th. I will get some sound recording links up within the next several days.