Friday Music

Light spring rain, redwing blackbirds checking-in and the local frog chorale love song serenade.

 

One of my most favorite times of year…..

 

 

Chorus Frogs

I found this in a desktop file having failed to share it with my readers.  Maybe on Face Book?  But not here.  It's filed now with the other videos and is worth a listen

The resident frog chorale kicking it into high gear. 

Spring romance is in the air and the local critters have got lov’n on their mind. 

Turn-up the volume...........

 

 

Friday Music

From a couple of nights ago the resident Frog Chorale has romance on their mind.

One of my favorite rites of spring...

 

 

What To See In The May Night Sky

Tomorrow brings us a New Moon which means the skies will be especially dark.

Hubba Hubba.

If it isn't cloudy this is a terrific time to get out and do some serious star gazing.  It's not too cold, the skeets haven't hatched in any bothersome quantities and the resident frog chorale will be serenading us astronomy nerds with the songs of their spring courtship ritual.

So, grab yourself an adult beverage and set-up a comfy chair with all of the lights-off and soak it up the Milky Way and the spring constellations.  Invite your sweetie to join you.

Raising a toast to clear skies and dark nights....

Peepers

The resident frog chorale is at long-last kicking it into high gear. 

Spring romance is in the air and the local critters have got lov’n on their mind. 

Music to my ears. 

From last evening there was this.

Turn-up the volume...........

 

 

Amphibian Chorus

The resident frog chorale is at long-last kicking it into high gear. 

 

Spring romance is in the air and the local critters have got lov’n on their mind.

 

Music to my ears.

 

From several evenings ago there was this.

 

Can't wait for the broken banjo string call of the green frogs to join-in.

 

Turn-up the volume...........

 

 

 

Sunset

Bracketing some sunset photos before dusk. 

The earth’s tilt on its axis has shifted the setting sun even further north. 

And as I set out on the patio (previously the hot tub slab)  the resident green frog in the rain garden is crooning the green frog love call.

Sounds like a busted banjo string......

‘CLUNG!'

Frogs From Outer Space

ISS – short for International Space Station - is quite spectacular to observe transecting the night sky.  It is so bright you cannot possibly miss it and truthfully is one of the coolest things to observe.  The hitch is that the navigation across the sky by this satellite is fast.  It appears above the horizon and in a matter of moments crosses overhead and disappears over the opposite horizon.  Furthermore it is unpredictable (relative to stuff like constellations, the moon and planets) so it’s helpful to have advance warning of its arrival and from what direction.  

I use NASA's Spot the Station site which furnishes me dates and times and where to look based on my latitude and longitude.  Alerts are sent hours in-advance by email or text.  

Among several astronomy apps I make use of is Night Sky – an app on my Smartphone.  Available for Apple and Android devices this tool has a significant amount of information on the screen and all I have to do is aim my device in the direction of where I’m viewing and stars, planets, constellations and satellites are usefully arrayed on the screen for ease of identification.  
Last Friday morning brought me this message:  

Time: Fri May 15 11:02 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 48°, Appears: 10° above W, Disappears: 11° above NE 

And I was ready with my iPhone to see what I could capture.  

I did indeed get a handful of clear photos as the ISS came directly over the house.  So on a whim I thought – what the heck – how about some video.  Resulting in an edited copy here.
   

The video is poor quality with the wobbly track of the ISS as it comes in and out of focus.  Trust me - the station flies a steady orbit.  My results are a consequence of not using a tripod or other stationary platform to keep the device steady.  

So let’s agree that it is a crappy video production.  Nevertheless, the soundtrack is quite spectacular with the chorus frogs whooping it up in the background.  That is a delight to the ears.   

I've been meaning to record the frog chorus and now it's done.  Goes to show that sometimes you benefit from the law of unintended consequences.            

Frogger

Member of the local frog chorale, adept climber of vertical surfaces and personal friend.  

click on image for a closer look

 

Meet Hyla versicolor - the gray treefrog. 

This amphibian sports a number of chameleon-like qualities allowing it to change in coloration in seconds from green to gray with darker mottling or a solid color.  It tends to be darker when it is cold and dark yet can blend-in easily with a tree’s bark or foliage.  Field marks for this frog include a white spot below each eye, white belly and bright yellow-orange skin beneath its thighs.    

The gray treefrog is nocturnal – foraging in the evening for insects and other bugs and resting during the day in cover.  I found this guy beneath my Weber Smokey Joe.  The toe pads are pronounced and produce a sticky substance allowing this critter to cling to various surfaces.  

While the breeding season is presently in full swing - this species will sing beyond the breeding season, especially on warm, rainy or humid days.   The female selects a mate based upon his call, lays up to 2000 eggs in groups of 10 to 50.  The tadpoles hatch in four or five days and will change into froglets in about two months.    

The gray treefrog overwinters under leaf litter, logs and rocks and actually freezes.  It produces large amounts of glycerol replacing water in vital organs which acts like antifreeze and prevents ice crystals from forming in the cells.  The frog’s body freezes and its heartbeat and breathing stop.  When the temperature warms up – the frog thaws out and emerges to serenade us with its calling.

Peepers

Last night I was letting the dogs out for their last hurrah before bedtime and there it was.

A sure sign that spring is here - and one of my favorite rites.

The peeper chorus.....

Gigolo!

Sunday – January 6th - was the last day of Frogs! at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  One of the most advanced traveling frog exhibitions in the country Jill and I took the opportunity to take-in and experience the vocal and visual beauty of these frogs from around the world. The exhibition has moved on and this is the second of several postings I’ll publish over the next couple of weeks.  So be sure to check back periodically and learn something about my favorite people - the herps.

Behold Trachycephalus resinifictrix – the Amazon Milk Frog. 

click on image for a closer look

 

This frog’s range includes French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador and the Peruvian Amazon. 

It lives and breeds in wet tree tops of the tropical forest.  During the breeding season the calling of the male milk frog lures a female to deposit two to three thousand eggs in his water-filled tree hole.  She leaves the male to fertilize them and care for the young.  After a couple of weeks and the tadpoles hatch the male lures another female to lay her eggs in the same water hole.  He doesn’t fertilize the second batch of eggs but uses them to feed his hungry tadpoles.  By feigning a love interest he tricks the second female into delivering food for babies that are not hers. 

Gigolo.

Amphibian Invasion

click on the frog to enlarge

Holy Crap!

These little frogs showed-up yesterday and they are everywhere.

Garage, shed, driveway, under the cars, all over the hot tub - especially the shady sides of 
the buildings. It’s an amphibian invasion.

And they're singing-up a song chorus every evening.

Spring peepers. 

Watching our step...

Frog Chorus

There's no better sleeping than going to bed with the windows open (and screens on) to the cacophony of the spring mating calls of the resident amphibians.

It's not just a a couple of frogs but a chorale of frogs. And one species of toad.

Still waiting upon the broken banjo string call of the green frog.

Get a hotel room already...