Saturday, March 27, 2010

Yesterday I rang and then emailed photos of my frogs to the local Parks and Wildlife office. Below is the response I received - which answered my questions very well.


Frogs on hand – appear to be Litoria dentata, Bleating Tree Frog also known as Kefersteins Tree Frog (protected species)

2 green frogs & Green Frog 1 - appear to be first year Litoria aurea Green and Golden Bell Frog (green form) (Endangered species)

Frog on hand – appears to be first year Green and Golden Bell Frog (green form) (Endangered species)

Brown frog with green stripes – Green and golden Bell frog (green and golden form) (Endangered species)

Brown frog on window ledge & Frog on leaf - appear to be Bleating Tree Frog also known as Kefersteins Tree Frog

Obviously your place is frog –friendly. These animals may be recent recruits to the population following February large rain events. They can breed from about October to March. We have now had two good summers in a row for suitable breeding of frogs like the ones at your place. Large breeding events like these sustains the population through years of drought when no breeding occurs. Brundee Swamp Nature Reserve (eastern end of Boston Rd) is one of the most important sites in the Shoalhaven for conserving the habitat and populations of Green and Golden Bell Frog. Following metamorphosis into frogs from tadpoles these animals may have dispersed along drainages and grassy corridors from their site of breeding to your place. Alternatively they may have bred in nearby ponds or waterholes or even at your place if you have a pond or two. In dry years you may not see them. The GGBF is unusual in that it likes to bask in the sun during the day (mornings), that is why they are readily observable, so sunny spots are good too. Try and maintain some moist, dark/shady areas in your garden where they can hide and survive dry spells, winter and drought.


Further information

Call into our office for a GGBF brochure with more info or phone and a brochure can be posted to you.

DECCW information site for Green and Golden Bell frog
http://threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10483


This site has images of Green and Golden bell frogs that show the range of colour variation in them
http://images.google.com.au/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=3&q=litoria+aurea&btnG=Search+images

http://images.google.com.au/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=litoria+caerulea&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&start=0
you may like to keep an eye out for this charismatic frog the Green Tree frog

If you are ever at Sydney international airport check out the giant green and golden bell frog made out of small tiles. The model was built for visitors arriving for Olympic games 2000. This species was the mascot for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games as there is a wild population at Homebush Olympic park.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

That is interesting ... glad to learn something new. Cute little critters.

Happy Easter ~
Pop over for our giveaway.

Have a great weekend.
TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon

Unknown said...

Gail your frogs are just beautiful and what a fantastic response from the National Parks Service .