Peepers?

Spring isn’t spring without the nocturnal love song of the peepers. The male's beckoning call is a long, dreamlike, musical trill, dominating the sounds of the night at this time of year. One of my favorite sounds of spring. Each male in a chorus sings at a slightly different pitch, with males alternating and overlapping their calls in a most pleasing manner. I took a walk over by the pond tonight to capture their sound. I actually found a small group in a pool in the creek nearby. Let’s listen. And yes, you can even hear the water splash as they move around.



I thought them to be Spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer). A little research surprised me, showing them to be American Toads (Bufo americanus). Maybe the actual Spring peepers were out earlier. Here’s a couple of pictures of old blue eyes.


And here’s a picture of him crooning. Notice his throat filled with air as he sings, while his girlfriend watches (bottom right).

To give you an idea of the size, here’s one next to my foot.

And finally, for adult eye’s only.