Rana

The wetlands near my place are rife with activity, particularly later in the day. The red wing blackbirds dart this way and that and the female mallards can be heard everywhere. The cattails are starting to emerge, The fruit trees blossoming and the wild roses budding. (Begin nerdgasm) Invertebrates of all kinds can be found in moments, and Rachel and I saw a leech there recently (awesome!).

However, around sunset the life form with the greatest presence is without a doubt the frogs. The noise of their calls is DEAFENING. To get close, you have to pad silently into the main cattail pond area. Then, wait for the ones near you to decide that you are not a threat (amid the cacophony, they can hear your footsteps surprisingly well) and they will eventually return in full surround sound. Sometimes I swear it is a few decibels shy of hurting my ears. Also, even when you can hear a frog within a few feet of you, you can seldom see the sneaky little buggers.

My old Canon A540 is not equipped with the latest sound recording technology, but I took some video all the same. In a month or two the shallow ponds will be quiet and well on their way to being dried up, and those of us who frequent the boardwalk will have to wait 'til next year to hear them.

P.S. I've noticed that the Green Heron that lives in our neighbor's tree seems nice and plump these days...