🐸Chorus frog season 2025

Chorus Frog Survey

It is that time of year! I like doing Citizen Science. The federal ministry, Environment and Climate Change Canada, has been running  🐸Chorus Frog Surveys for a few years now. We began participating in 2020. They are on hiatus for 5 years, and they cancelled it during COVID. Now they are back with limited surveys. I really don't know what that means. 

I have never seen a Chorus Frog, but I've heard them! They lay eggs in vernal pools, in winter melt water, ones which dry up in summer and don't have fish predators in them. (Clever, eh?)

Western Chorus Frog wiki

I programmed my sites onto the map. Then transferred it to my phone. 

This is the map that shows two different populations. The Carolinian population is not at risk. The Great Lakes population is distinct from the green shaded one. The population near us is threatened. 

They are unusual frogs, at least to me. They sound like someone running a finger across the top of a plastic comb.

Head Office, AKA the biologists, email us when they are calling in our area. Usually for two weeks in April. 

 

A few important notes about weather conditions to optimize your chances of hearing the calls for Western Chorus Frogs:

• Wait until the temperature reaches 10°C before conducting surveys
• The wind speed should not exceed 20 km/hour during survey.
• Please conduct surveys when there is no rain, or light rain only.
• Only go out to listen for them between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

🐸 🐸 🐸 🐸 🐸 🐸 🐸 🐸 🐸 🐸

2025

April 2nd – It was announced that the conditions were favourable for calling. 😊

April 3rd – It was 21 C. in the afternoon, but I had an appointment. 😊

April 4th –  Too chilly.😞

April 5th – Raining. 😞

April 6th – Too cold: 5 ℃, and raining.😞

April 7th – Just 10℃. Surveyed 4 of my assigned sites. I heard Spring Peepers in the marsh at bedtime. 😊

April 8th – Cold and snowy.😞

April 9th – Went for a drive, heard them on Perth Road. Too cold here.😞

April 10  – Never made 10℃. Damp kinda cold.😞

April 11 –  Dreary day. Cold.😞

April 12 – Too cold.😞

April 14 – We took a drive. Two hours work. No frogs. Back to my quarry site, and they were in full voice.😊 

April 15 – wet and cool.😞

April 16 – High is only 4℃.😞

April 17 – sunny, visited my first 4 sites. No Chorus Frogs.

I think I am done and ready to submit my non-results! 

Western Chorus Frog Hunting

 We visited 4 sites last week. Six more on Monday, April 14th. You can't see them. You can only hear them for a couple of weeks while they are in mating season (April around here). It's pretty labour intensive for Citizen Scientists! I have never seen one. 

Pseudacris triseriata

Pseudacris is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae found in North America ranging from the Pacific coastline to the Atlantic. The name of the genus comes from the Greek pseudes (false) and akris (locust), probably a reference to the repeated rasping trill of most chorus frogs, which is similar to that of the insect. … Wikipedia

This is what our drive was like. It was too windy, according to our protocols, but a nice drive.

 

The highlight was the beaver dam site, #6054. 

Clipboard, water bottle, map, phone maps. 

Whoopsie! Citizen Science.

The road is an atypical cottage road. 

I heard some Spring Peepers, and Wood Frogs! No Chorus Frogs... Oh, and poor Joe had to close the car window as the mosquitoes were coming in!

There were two black and white ducks on the beaver dam water.

 

 From there I walked back down the hill. Tons of peepers and wood frogs.

We encountered a couple working on the road. What a lot of hard work. I hope they are paid for it!

After all that, I wondered if my favourite location for Chorus Frogs, heard accidentally, had frogs calling. Sure enough! This lets me know that the conditions are right, but they are absent in my locations.

Chorus frog hunting, etc.

Thursday, April 8th

We're still at it, chorus frog calls last about 2 - 3 weeks! Off we went for another spring drive in the sunshine. It's a nice way to pass the time. 

Righty, back to frogging spot #300, Kenyan Rd. I was dubious. I ended up hear a few wood frogs right beside the road. 

It's a good sign to hear the wood frogs. Still no chorus frogs, though.

This little tree amused me. A splash of green! 

I am wondering about this road. It must be a municipal road, and not a private road, I think. Back in the early days farmers were responsible for maintaining roads around their properties. Municipal governments are now responsible.

I finally remembered to bring my phone, with the GPS, and the saved locations. It really helped.

The spring freshet is quick this year. This little babbling brook was a delight!

  

People are tapping trees, although I think the professionals are done for the season!

This is a pretty spot. You can see the lake through the trees. I hope you enjoy the scene. These are a combination  of 'cottages' and year-round residences.

JB parked and I wandered listening for love!

The mirror on the road indicates that it's tricky getting out of Major Lane!

I've begged off site #1661, Sundance Lane R1, as there is no suitable location for frogs. It's all lovely forest. This is supposed to be R5, site #1657, according to Google maps! They have not been updated. It's actually O'Meara Bay Lane.

This is site #301, the frogs are singing aways in from the road, on the other side of a forest to the right of the marker. 

Now, this is what I faced, the crow flew right over my head, and across the wetland. The frogs wisely shut the heck up, way back in the water. I think it has a sense of humour. frogging with a crow  

At home, the wood frogs are hopping to it, mating like mad.

Saturday: World Curling in Calgary

It has been good entertainment for JB to watch his curling. He made up his own chart for the results. He's a numbers man. Sadly, Canada is out of it, beaten by Scotland. I heard the results on the 4 am. news. sigh. It means, since JB taped it, I have to keep a poker face to not let him know who won! I'm pretty good at that. 

Also, they've shut the finals down Saturday, suspending play, as someone has tested positive for COVID–19. Not one of the 6 playoff teams, but they are all confined to their bubble barracks as everyone is being tested. There are several asymptomatic cases. They were all tested just before flying home. I believe they thought they'd be OK, but they all flew in from around the world. The bubble did not work.

The rest of Saturday was amazing!

COVID–19

Our COVID–19 numbers are rising, and thanks to the denial of the provincial government about the severity of the variant spread, our Toronto ICUs are full and hospitals are sending patients out of big cities to smaller hospitals. While Canada, as a nation, has universal healthcare, and we ordered enough vaccines (we get ours next week), our provincial premier told us a year ago to enjoy March Break, and many brought the virus home. Then, things went downhill.  Premier Ford should have shut us down 6 weeks ago, but he is in the pockets of his Old Boys Network pals, rather than listening to front line staff and the medical community. He quit high school and he's not the brightest light.

Our MPP is still up to his old tricks, denying the pandemic. Red says his MLA is the same way. Such dipsticks. The MPP is hosting a COVID Denial party. It was held in a pub, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission has suspended their liquor licence! Happy dance! 

AGCO suspends and moves to revoke the liquor licence of The South Branch Bistro, Kemptville

APRIL 09, 2021

Chorus frogs, osprey

 I'm feeling somewhat weepy, my eyes are horrid, and my startle reflex is horrible. I could tell the warning signs. JB suggested a drive to Narrows Lock. This was a bonus, as I'm participating in the Western Chorus Frog Survey. I can't see too well, listening I can do!

Both a Burn Ban, and COVID–19 signs. Things are fairly quiet. There were quite a few people out walking on rural roads in fresh air.



The bee hives are back out in the field, with an electric fence.



The osprey are back.

Here we are at Narrows Locks. It was so cold.



 I was shocked to hear the chorus frogs. The guidelines for the chorus frog survey said not to listen for them below 10 C. I guess this was a freebie!



The lock house is closed due to COVID–19, signage is up, and we turned around in the parking lot.



We've had a lot of wind; trees need to come down in Westport.



We sat and listened in several spot for the chorus frogs. None here.



The sign says Stay Strong!



This is a new sign: "CAUTION ENDANGERED SPECIES". I'm not sure what it'll do... people tend to drive too fast if they don't care about you or I. I'm not sure they care too much about critters.



It's a huge sign of spring to have the osprey back. This one was at Narrows Lock.



I was so surprised. We were driving by, and I heard them with the window closed.

Chorus frogs from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.