News
Call for Frog Census Volunteers!
Join the 1137 current frog census volunteers. Have fun and learn heaps. Sign up here!
Frog News around Australia
Use these links to find out what is happening for frogs around Australia:
The Australian WWF Frogs Program www.frogs.wwf.org.au
South Australian Frog Census www.environment.sa.gov.au/epa/frogcensus
Western Wildlife Frogs www.westernwildlife.com.au/frogs
Frogs of Tasmania www.parks.tas.gov.au/wildlife/frogs/frogs.html
Western Australia Museum Alcoa Frogwatch www.museum.wa.gov.au/frogwatch
Australian Amphibian Disease Website www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/PHTM/frogs/ampdis.htm
The Action Plan for Australian Frogs www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/action/frogs
Pondside www.mv.com/ipusers/gecko/ns_index.htm
Australian Herpetological Directory www.jcu.edu.au/school/tbiol/zoology/herp/herp2.shtml
Tropical North Queensland Frogs www.wildlife-australia.com/frogs.htm
2008 Frog Census Update
Start your autumn recordings now: We accept digital and cassette recordings throughout the year. Instructions on recording can be found on the participation page of this website.
FROG CENSUS 2008
What’s New?
Currently we are busy working on building a bigger better Frog Census. Some of the exciting new initiatives include:
- Creating an online frog census data entry system so you will be able to enter data straight into the website and attach a digital sound file of your frog call.
- Organising a system for you to get recording results/ feedback within 6 weeks
- Designing frog education sessions to be delivered by Waterwatch Coordinators to your council, community group, or school on request.
- Encouraging friends groups to start dedicated frog watch teams – a comprehensive list of frog watch groups would enable volunteers to link up with groups in their local area.
- Holding an annual Frog Census results launch in September each year.
- Holding a Frog Census volunteer get together and recognition once a year.
- Feeding the Melbourne Water Frog Census results through to the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife (AVW) the Victorian flora and fauna database. The AVW is the official data used as a tool for land managers, planners, researchers and the community to track species distributions and conservation status.
What’s changing?
- We are replacing the autumn and spring launch with one annual launch event in September and encouraging volunteers to submit recordings throughout the year. We will still send reminders to everyone on the Frog Census database at the beginning of autumn – noting which species are active at that time.
- Ceasing the evening training sessions around Melbourne each autumn and spring –these will be held on request from host organisations. We hope to continue tours of the live frog collection at the Amphibian Research Centre twice a year.
FROG CENSUS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Can I still record my frog calls on a cassette?
Yes we will understand not everyone has internet access and access to digital recording equipment.
Will Melbourne Water still send a frog census kit to me in autumn and spring?
No you will need to ring or email us to request a kit (the kit is made up of a cassette, datasheet, and other documents available on the Frog Census website). Many of the people we were sending kits to were making electronic recordings and didn’t need a cassette. It is less wasteful if you send a request when you need a cassette.
Is Melbourne Water still running an autumn frog census?
Yes we will be collecting results throughout the year including calls collected in autumn. Spring and autumn are the most active calling times for the majority of frogs. Previously we found that volunteers were sending in results after the close of season and were confused about the closing dates. We will be updating the results map and providing results to volunteers regularly. We will be publishing the compiled annual results in a report to be launched each September.
Will you still hold evening frog census information sessions?
No we won’t be organising evening information sessions but you can still attend the open day at the Amphibian Research Centre. If your community group, school or council would like to host a Frog Census Information Session we can organise a Waterwatch coordinator from your area to come and present (sessions won’t be available until mid 2008). You will need to organise the venue and promotion.
How will I know how to make a frog census recording without attending a session?
You will find detailed instructions on when, where and how to record frog calls on the participation page of the frog census website.
When you have made recording (or seen a frog) you can go to the Frogs of Australia website to help you identify the frog species www.frogs.org.au This site will give you detailed information about the distinguishing characteristics and distribution of that species, and an image of the species and a sound file of the call. You do not need to know what the frog call is, but if you want to learn this page can help you become a frog expert! Open days held twice a year at the Amphibian Research Centre will give you a chance to see live frogs and hear an expert speaking on frogs.
How can I meet other people to go out and make recordings with?
There may be a ‘friends of’ group who meet to undertake conservation activities in your local parkland or waterway. You can find friends of groups by calling your local council, searching on your local council’s website or visiting the Victorian Environment Friends Network site.
Not all Friends groups participate in the Frog Census so when you call ask the contact person if they know anyone in the group who is interested in frogs.
LATEST RESULTS AND THE ATLAS OF VICTORIAN WILDLIFE
During the last spring and autumn census (2006/ 2007) we received 440 recordings from over 300 sites. Thirteen frog species were recorded over the two census periods. The spring 2006 results included six recordings of the nationally significant Growling Grass Frog (Litoria raniformis) and the autumn 2007 results included the state significant Southern Toadlet (Pseudophryne semimarmorta). The Common Spadefoot Toad (Neobatrachus sudelli) was recorded in the autumn 2007 census for the first time since autumn 2005.
While many observers express concern that the frog calls in their area are diminishing we still receive a similar volume of calls from a similar number of sites (since census commenced in 2003). It is true that reduced rainfall may have made it difficult to hear as many calls but the frog experts assure me this does not necessarily mean that all frogs are diminishing in the area. Unless you have visited the site regularly it is difficult to confirm that they are calling less.
An exciting development for the Frog Census is that from now on all results will be sent through to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) for inclusion in the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife (AVW) this Victorian flora and fauna database contributes to a national picture of species distribution and conservation. Some folks may have sent data directly to the AVW in the past – just ensure you don’t send data to both Frog Census and AVW as this would result in a double count.