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.