Love those tree frogs!!

[CathyA]

I have waited for them all winter to return and sing me to sleep, and they're finally back!
I have several stocktank ponds and they love hanging out in them.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f129/Catherine50/IMG_0180_2_zps9a90ff36.jpg

[Alan]

Oh my gosh. My backyard pool and small creek attract hundreds of those little monsters. If I leave our bedroom window open this time of year, I can't sleep at all. Who would have thought something so small could make so much noise? If they'd stay in the creek it wouldn't be so bad, but right outside my bedroom window? They may as well be in bed with me.

Once our pool opens, it's my youngest grandson's job to capture those in and around the pool and release them into the creek, but it has to be done daily since they find their way back.

[CathyA]

LOL Alan.......there was one night when I did have to shut the window. I use a cpap, so I can tolerate a little more external noise, since it makes noise too.
Its unbelievable how loud they are. I can get them going by just imitating their sound. But that's probably the last thing you want to do! haha
I've often wondered if they would lay eggs in a pool that had chlorine in it. Do you ever see eggs in there?

[Alan]

LOL Alan.......there was one night when I did have to shut the window. I use a cpap, so I can tolerate a little more external noise, since it makes noise too.
Its unbelievable how loud they are. I can get them going by just imitating their sound. But that's probably the last thing you want to do! haha
I've often wondered if they would lay eggs in a pool that had chlorine in it. Do you ever see eggs in there?
I've never noticed eggs in the pool itself, but this time of year, it still has it's winter cover on it and they lay eggs in the water that accumulates. I'm planning on removing the cover this weekend and getting things ready for opening. If I wait too long, we find tadpoles.

[CathyA]

Its amazing how many tadpoles there always are in my 300 gallon stocktank ponds, but by the end of summer, they're all gone. I don't know if something eats them or they just become one with the universe? :)
I remember when I was young and went to a camp in the woods with a swimming pool. I don't think they used chlorine, because there were tons of tiny frogs or toads that we had to dodge in the water. haha

[Float On]

Frogs lay thousands of eggs in my little pond. The first few nights we're like 'ah...the frogs are back' and by the fifth night we're like 'when will the x$#@ frogs shut up'. I still love 'em, even if I can't sleep.

[goldensmom]

I do so enjoy going to sleep to the sound of tree frogs and waking to Mourning Doves cooing. It's a wonderul time of year.

[CathyA]

The only thing that's irritating me a bit are the catbirds. Its like, SHUT UP, will you? haha They just yap on and on and on.
And sometimes the red-eyed vireos go on and on too, but not as much as the catbirds. I gotta love it all though! I'll take nature noise any day, over human noise!

[rosarugosa]

I love our catbirds so much - and I wish we had tree frogs!

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Cathy A, I love the soothing sound of tree frogs too. It must be nice for you to have so many on your property. That is a great photo you took of one. I thought they were much smaller!

[Gardenarian]

Oh, I love frogs too! We have a small pond that we stocked with some local tadpoles several years ago, and now the whole neighborhood is filled with their chirping. Makes our little town feel so much more rural.

Our mourning doves seem to becoming displaced by ring-necked, who have a much less pleasant call.

[dado potato]

In our trees there are some gray tree frogs. Their occasional call is like a hilarious laugh.

We also have spring peepers, which I love to listen to while going to sleep.

This spring, one of the most spectacular vocalizations I listened to in our yard was a mockingbird. (Now I know mockingbirds do things that are abhorrent to many people.) This particular mockingbird was incredible. He "mocked" all the songbirds. A virtuoso!

Some youtube examples of mockingbirds at it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMpe34Aign4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pUxOaN_rec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdDPHSHrYrU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN-mLMnVvEw

[CathyA]

Mockingbirds are pretty incredible.
I remember one time many years ago, when I got back from work about 1a.m. and there was one in the tree, signing his heart out. It was very weird. But they are known to sing at night.

[peggy]

Mocking birds to me are southern birds. I see one occasionally but it always surprises me.
We have northern cricket frogs here on the pond and fen. More on the pond and peepers on the fen. They make a clicking sound, and can be quite deafening as summer draws on. They are actually cute little frogs and are absolutely everywhere as I go about my day. In the grass, in the garden, etc... the thing about them is, they aren't each alike, each one seems to have his/her own pattern. Some darker, some lighter with different combinations of pattern/color. Great little frogs.

[CathyA]

For a couple years, towards the end of summer, I hear a clicking sound coming from the trees and was hoping it was cricket frogs. But I finally figured out it was angular-winged Katydids.

[Gardenarian]

I have a pair of mockingbirds nesting in a tree outside my bedroom window. There is a scrub jay that's trying to get to the eggs/chicks and there are constant swooping battles and alert calls - it's like a bird opera out there. I hope the chicks make it.