by Chris Johnston
Summer nights at Green Gully are being filled with a maniacal cackle - last summer and again this summer. Last year there was only one cackler, but now it sounds like 3! Someone suggested it was a nesting Woodie, I thought it was a bunyip …. but Kate Sandiford had a far better idea – that it is a maniacal cackle frog – or a Peron’s Tree Frog. Have a look at this web-page – http://frogs.org.au/frogs/species/Litoria/peroni/ - and click on the “hear it now” link to imagine what Green Gully nights are like!
But seriously, has anyone else heard this frog locally? The ‘frogs’ website (above) suggests that they are not found in the goldfields region.
Geoff Park
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Dear Chris
We have heard the Perons Tree frog (somewhat infrequently) at our dam in Clydesdale. They seem to like calling from a hollow or down pipe, ie an echo chamber.
Regards Trevor & Liz
Christmas Reef Road, Clydesdale
We had two take up residence in an old fridge out on the verandah (it wasn’t working) for quite some time. they got quite used to me checking on them, to see if they’d “come home” and didn’t panic at all. This is North Castlemaine of course, not Newtead. I had not seen one for years, and the only photo I have of one is from a school camp at the Scout Camp on Gunbower Island where I was helping back in 1975.
I have no idea how long they have been found in this district.
Great find Chris – can I challenge you to capture a photograph?
All the best, Geoff
Hi Geoff
Gosh I have no idea how to even attempt finding a frog that calls at night, much less take a photo! All advice most welcome. Chris
Hi Chris – Try this method. You will need two people with torches – stand roughly 90 degrees apart and then shine your beams to where you think the calls are coming from. With a bit of luck the frog should be at the intersection of the two beams. Hope this is useful encouragement. I did say it would be a challenge!
Cheers, Geoff
hi there! we get a lot of the Peron’s Tree Frogs here in Gippsland. You can photograph them fairly easily with the use of a torch, as the above comment suggests. Good Luck!
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Hi Chris – congratulations and well done. Great teamwork from you and Frances! This story emphasises again the value of recording local observations in building our knowledge and appreciation of nature.
Cheers, Geoff
Hi Chris,
I first heard Peron’s Tree-frog from my residence at Campbells Creek in 2003. It took me ages to identify it from my recording of its call and the cassette of recorded frog calls I had at the time. Since then, they have increased in number. In 2003 I’d never heard one before so thought they must be locally rare. A year or so later I heard what seemed like hundreds calling from Lake Joanna in the Castlemaine botanic gardens!