Finding Wild Gray Treefrogs

[ketz]

Hi everyone,

Over the past couple summers my girlfriend and I have been going into the woods to do some field herping and photography and we've managed to find almost all the reptile species in Ohio and we're working on finding a lot of the amphibians. We've found tons of spring peepers (we actually one spot that there's so many that you can't go there because you'll step on them) but we've never been able to find gray treefrogs.

Are there any tricks to finding them? I've heard of a "treefrog trap" that involved putting PVC pipe in the ground and they nest in those?

Do you think we might find them around the same habitat as the peepers? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[UncleChester]

Easiest way is probably by their call on a warm night after a rainfall. I've found them in the same marshy areas where peepers hang out and also way up trees in fence rows running through open fields. They do seem somewhat fragmented here, I frequent a couple similar habitats a few kms from each other and one is swarming with grays, the other has none (both have peeper swarms!)

If they are in the area, they also hang out on buildings, window sills, door frames, any sort of ledge a few feet off they ground. They don't mind people being near, but aren't usually very active in the day, except to move in or out of the sun as the temperature demands. The first gray I found this year was sitting on a bench in the morning and was still there in the evening despite numerous people going by. At night they often hang out near insect attracting lights (they seem to go berserk for moths).

I've never tried the "pvc trap" but the "hanging basket of flowers" approach meets with some success. Or just a potted plant actually. I always check these for frogs before moving.

Hope this is some help and good luck!

[Kurt]

You could always put PVC pipe in a tree or bush near a small body of water such as a vernal pool or small pond. After a night of froggy frolicking, the gray treefrogs make take refuge in the pipe.

[ketz]

Hey guys thanks for all the advice, I know a couple choice spots where there's a ton of amphibians so maybe I'll try on a rainy warm evening sometime soon. Have any of you found them outside this early in the year? I've only found some of the hardier species of frogs, but I guess I haven't been looking too hard either.

[Kurt]

I have not seen any yet, but then again I have not gone looking either.

[frog]

The best way I have found grays is you can set up a baby pool and fill with water. Install some rocks and branches for easy in/out access. Then wait till night time when they call. They will usually be in the pool looking for a mate. You will also find other frogs will come to the water pool to breed. You can catch them then or wait for the eggs or tadpoles. I just caught a new gray about 2+ weeks ago and all the frogs were out calling. The past week or so I have heard no frog calls due the cold spell we are having. I have never found a spring peeper but hear them everywhere. I am still looking to find some. Does any one have any good trap tricks for peepers?

[ketz]

All these are great ideas, but I don't live near any spot that's good for frogs, I'm in the middle of the suburbs and I'm lucky to see an American Toad or Garter snake in my yard. I think I'll just keep trying by around where I find the Peepers.

^ Also, I haven't found any set way for finding the peepers, some places are just good spots. The place that I find the most is where it's a small pond or vernal pool with no fish, and where the land is relatively flat around the water. This allows me to get really close to the water without as much chance of falling in.

They're pretty cool to keep though as long as you don't mind incessant chirping. I kept some WC just for a couple weeks to observe them before letting them go again.I read that they chirp faster or louder to try to gain more attention while mating, not sure how true that is though. So I recorded their chirping and played it back to them either faster or higher pitched, and they kept trying to beat their old voices I think.

[UncleChester]

... Have any of you found them outside this early in the year?...

The first Gray I heard this year was about 3 weeks ago. A week and a half ago we had a big rain and I heard tons of Grays calling, and found a couple who were sitting quietly. April was unseasonably warm here (southern Ontario) and dry though.

...The past week or so I have heard no frog calls due the cold spell we are having. I have never found a spring peeper but hear them everywhere. I am still looking to find some. Does any one have any good trap tricks for peepers?

For me, Peepers are easiest when they are so abundant that you nearly step on them, or are scarce enough that you can single out a calling one to home in on. Too many calling Peepers and it's just a loud blur and I have trouble locating anything. I have a slow moving stream with lots of small temporary pools around it right by my house, and the calling peepers are very spread out and no problems to locate in the evening. I've never trapped one though.

[HerpNwny14]

as far as the pvc trap,how big should it be and how far off the ground? i have a spot that has several marshes and a forest about 15feet across from a marsh that has tons of peepers and chorus frogs so greys must be there right? im thinking about seeting up a few pvc traps should i put them in the water or on land?

[Kurt]

Put them in small trees and bushes near the water. The PVC pipes should be big enough for the frog to climb in. I would use gray PVC, to prevent people from seeing it and mucking with it.