Peepers,

I don't know why tree-frogs call outside the breeding season from dry-land
haunts. Carlos Davidson, now a PhD candidate at the University of
California at Davis, has produced a wonderful tape/cd titled "Frog and Toad
Calls of the Pacific Coast." It was produced by the Library of Natural
Sounds at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. It has all of the
tree-frog's calls including the "dry land" krr-r-rek.

Our Pacific tree-frog has been suspended in a systematic flux for quite some
time now; long known as the Pacific tree-frog (Hyla regilla), it was
suddenly dubbed the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla). Then, there
was a persuasive cladistic analysis that recommended we stick with the old,
traditional name for awhile because the critter seemed to be neither a
Pseudacris or a Hyla. I have heard that the latest word is that a new genus
(Parahyla) will be named to accomodate our little croakers' unique
characteristics.

I always think of February as the month when the Pacific tree-frogs really
get going here in the Puget Sound lowlands. At my home, the breeding ponds
are sufficiently distant that I don't really hear the frogs until they get a
full complement of males gathered for a giant evening jam. If I were closer
to a prime wetland (and it would be wet tonight), perhaps I would be hearing
the early guys. The season and temperature seem right.

Kelly (tweeting from a personal account at the moment) McAllister
Olympia, Washington
alleyes at tssnet1.tss.net

Alvaro Jaramillo wrote:
> Here in California, the Pacific Cricket/Tree Frogs have been going
>at it for over a month. As soon as the rains were able to fill up the
>temporary ponds the males began singing like crazy and they are still
>singing. If this is correct and Pacifics are indeed winter breeders here and
>spring breeders there, then I have a question. Is the change in timing of
>breeding a gradual cline as one goes south, or does it switch abruptly
>somewhere north of me (s. Oregon??). Another question, does anyone know why
>these frogs call (the slow crrrk, call) outside of the breeding season?