I’ll never forget my first journalism lecturer telling our class that out of hundreds of stories he reported for ABC TV Queensland, a story about a frog was most popular with viewers.
People do seem to care about frogs but how many people know that according to international data, one third of frogs worldwide and a quarter of Australian frogs are threatened with extinction?
Scientists know this, which is why there are several citizen science projects recording frog sightings around Australia every year.
This year, I took part in one: Find a Frog February. It’s a month-long event the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC) runs for the Mary, Mooloola, Maroochy, Noosa, Burrum Rivers and coastal areas. The program is supported by Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Gympie and Fraser Coast Regional Councils.
Check your backyard
We have a dam and rainforest gully on our acreage and an almost nightly frog and toad chorus. So, after a rainy day early in February, I took my headtorch and phone down to the dam at dusk to see if there were any frogs.
I followed the frog calls (they only call at night to avoid predators). I quickly found a Peron’s Tree Frog in the reeds, a Tusked Frog on our dam pump housing, a Great Barred Frog in a garden bed nearby and an Eastern Stony Creek Frog in a spoon drain. (Although when I found them, I didn’t know any of the species).
Great Barred frog spotted near a backyard dam in Carters Ridge. PHOTO: Vivienne Wynter
Following instructions from Find a Frog February, I took photos, being careful to aim my torch a little away from the frogs’ eyes and uploaded my photos to iNaturalist app.
The next morning all my frogs were identified by multiple experts.
Exciting!
In 30 minutes of frogging, I learned to identify four species in our backyard.
The Frog-Hop at Yabba Creek
A couple of weeks later I joined around 12 people ably led by MRCCC Find a Frog Project Lead Ollie Scully at the first Yabba Creek Crossing out of Imbil.
At four different sites on Yabba Creek and tributaries, we found several Eastern Stony Creek Frogs, a Great Barred Frog and a tiny Ornate Burrowing Frog which Ollie held in his hands for us all to see.
MRCCC project lead Ollie Scully holding the tiny Ornate Burrowing Frog. PHOTO: Vivienne Wynter
Ornate Burrowing Frog found near a tributary of Yabba Creek. PHOTO: Vivienne Wynter
We also turned off our torches to listen in silence for two five-minute stretches, hearing the frog calls and bathing in nature at night.
Our group included scientists and ecologists who seemingly could name every frog, tree and fish we observed. We also saw tawny frogmouths, two small-eyed black snakes, fresh-water crayfish and catfish and several cane toads.
Seeing the other species was just a bonus. We were there for the frogs.
All the frog sightings recorded individually and in groups during February go into a national database to help identify frogs and their habitat and protect them both.
This work is urgent.
It’s no secret Earth is undergoing a major extinction event and frogs are copping it badly.
Some fungi are not fun for frogs
The major threats to frogs are not cane toads as some might think. They are a fungus spread by animals and humans, climate change (heat, drought and fire) and human development wiping out habitat.
Chytrid fungus has caused the decline or extinction of around 200 frog species since the 1970s. The fungus causes a disease on the frog’s skin that fatally impairs its ability to maintain electrolyte, water and oxygen levels.
The Chytrid fungus killed off the Southern Gastric Brooding Frog, a creature that swallowed its eggs, developed its young in its stomach and gave birth via its mouth. This frog only existed in the Blackall Range, Conondale Range and D’Aguilar Range so it’s a particularly sad loss to the Mary Valley.
The Southern Gastric Brooding Frog now extinct. PHOTO: rainforestinfo.org.au
Feral pigs spread the fungus and humans can also spread it on our shoes, so give them a good scrub before you go into the forest or near natural water bodies.
Find and record frogs year round
My experience taking part in Find a Frog February was fun and educational and I appreciated the expert guidance. If you’d like to get involved, you don’t have to wait until next February.
There’s also FrogID week in November and citizen scientists can identify and log photos and sound recordings of frogs throughout the year through the FrogID and iNaturalist apps.
If you are old school and don’t do apps, there’s a Frog Finders Record Sheet on the MRCCC website which frog-spotters can print, complete and post or email to the MRCCC any time of the year.
Super keen frog spotters can get your hands on field guides to help you ID frogs and frog calls including:
- Frogs of the Sunshine Coast Region by Mike Donovan
- The Photographic Field Guide to Australian Frogs by Mark G. Sanders.
Both are available in libraries and bookshops. There’s also a FrogID in Frogging Around created by local frog expert Jono Hooper.
IMAGE close up of Ornate Burrowing Frog at top of story by Vivienne Wynter
