Sunset Symphony 2 (video)


The video below consists of two brief clips captured about 30 minutes apart on May 1. The first clip is focused on eastern gray tree frogs calling from the trees surrounding the wetland area, but the familiar peeping of spring peepers and the (new) clacking of cricket frogs (sounds like two rocks or marbles being struck together) can be heard in the background. There are no frogs visible in this clip but the most prominent eastern gray tree frog is calling from somewhere in the tree directly over the camera.

The second clip, approximately 30 minutes after sunset, overlooks the pond. The eastern gray tree frogs and the spring peepers are much more prominent and numerous at this time but with careful listening (may require headphones or earbuds) the clacking of the cricket frogs can also be discerned in the background. Also present at this time are the soft “chuck chuck chuck” and squealing sounds of plains leopard frogs and a couple of calls of a green frog, which sound rather like the plucking of a banjo string or perhaps a rubber band stretched over a cigar box. I find I have to listen multiple times to catch everything going on. While it is too dark to see much going on, it is possible to see some stirring of the water as frogs move around near the shore.

If you go back and listen to the first “Sunset Symphony” you’ll find that the spring peepers and plains leopard frogs are heard that night as well but the boreal chorus frogs, American toads and northern leopard frogs heard on April 3rd have been replaced in Sunset Symphony 2 by cricket frogs and green frogs (although while spending time at the wetland just the day before, April 30, I heard one or more calls from all three species missing from the April 3rd version along with a bullfrog). 

For those keeping score at home, this raises the total number of frog and toad species breeding this year at the Homer Lake wetland to NINE!

  • Spring Peepers
  • Boreal Chorus Frogs
  • Plains Leopard Frogs
  • Northern Leopard Frogs (new county record!)
  • American Toads
  • Eastern Gray Tree Frogs
  • Blanchard's Cricket Frogs
  • Green Frogs
  • Bullfrogs



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