On Tue, 6 Feb 2001, Mike Patterson wrote:

> I was changing bug traps at the Astoria Mitigation site
> along the old road (sparrow transect) and heard a curious
> call from a tangle of willows and stumps. surrounded by
> water. It was a consistant five note bok bok bok-bok bok
> occuring at 2-3second intervals. The sound had the quality
> of wood blocks (the percussion instrument sometimes used
> to immitate horse hooves).

Interesting. Sounds like a decent description of red-legged frog vocalization except that
red-legged frogs have a rather rubbery quality, sometimes described as the sound of
rubbing against a taut balloon (can you imagine that?). Or, the sound you hear if you
chew on a balloon. On the other hand, the Oregon Spotted Frog has a similar cadence and
volume but the tone is more like that of a distant woodpecker tapping on hard, resonant
wood. The sound can be imitated by clucking the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
Oregon Spotted Frogs were once known to occur in the lower Willametter Valley but there
are no known populations in the area now. More coastal records (such as Astoria) have never
been verified.

To me, the description fits Oregon Spotted Frog better than Red-legged Frog but a living
spotted frog in this area would be something to trumpet from the roof-tops.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia, Washington