Sprig Peeper tads?

[Deku]

Well, I waded throught there yesterday and could not find a single tad. It seems Crystal found a tad in wetland in Maine.

What kind of dip net should I use? Can you recommend one? Something more "professional"? I just use a $1 butterfly net. I did find several invertebrates and some tiny, tiny fish. I heard the Jim McGrath, a naturalist here in Michigan, say that if you hear Spring Peepers, you hear them saying "There are no fish here!". I guess he meant larger fish.

Thats too big for a net... I would just get a large dip net from the store. OR you could make your own. Take the butter fly net and take the "net" out. Then get some mesh and just strap the sides on and use that. Make sure the mesh is very long. :P so you can make sure you get the tads. The mesh should have small small holes. Like the size of a dot.

[Bill B]

Thats too big for a net... I would just get a large dip net from the store. OR you could make your own. Take the butter fly net and take the "net" out. Then get some mesh and just strap the sides on and use that. Make sure the mesh is very long. :P so you can make sure you get the tads. The mesh should have small small holes. Like the size of a dot.

Well, the holes are VERY small. I am quite sure no tads would go throught. The holes are about the size of those of an aquarium net.

The weird thing is, I looked a lot, and found almost nothing, even though there were hundreds calling.

[Crystal6]

Well, the holes are VERY small. I am quite sure no tads would go throught. The holes are about the size of those of an aquarium net.

The weird thing is, I looked a lot, and found almost nothing, even though there were hundreds calling.

Spring peepers are very loud. I have heard them calling in empty fields with no water.

Thus I imagine pinpointing them by sound would be both pretty painful, and pretty difficult.

[Deku]

Spring peepers are very loud. I have heard them calling in empty fields with no water.

Thus I imagine pinpointing them by sound would be both pretty painful, and pretty difficult.

You find them everywhere. Sadly where I used to work at, it had a huggggge pond that is not on their property and at night all sorts of frogs and toads sing there. Sad part is I cant go there on account id look like an idiot if caught. :P And n o car. XDDD

[Bill B]

You find them everywhere. Sadly where I used to work at, it had a huggggge pond that is not on their property and at night all sorts of frogs and toads sing there. Sad part is I cant go there on account id look like an idiot if caught. :P And n o car. XDDD

Well, do you mean tads or calling males?

[Kurt]

Being a very small species in stature, I am willing to bet since you found fish there, you won't find tadpoles. Find some vernal pools and see what you can scoop out of them. Last year I managed to scoop out a spotted salamander larva, that I raised up. The damn thing is huge now!

[Bill B]

Being a very small species in stature, I am willing to bet since you found fish there, you won't find tadpoles. Find some vernal pools and see what you can scoop out of them. Last year I managed to scoop out a spotted salamander larva, that I raised up. The damn thing is huge now!

That was one wetland - in a forest. The fish were probably Gambusia. I understand that they are there probably to reduce mosquito populations.

In the other two wetlands I saw now fish. They are one the outskirts of forests.

[Bill B]

Being a very small species in stature, I am willing to bet since you found fish there, you won't find tadpoles. Find some vernal pools and see what you can scoop out of them. Last year I managed to scoop out a spotted salamander larva, that I raised up. The damn thing is huge now!

But Spring Peeper tads are large! Very large for the size of the frog. I don't see why they would be "persecuted" all that much by Gambusia. American Toads definintely breed in that wetland, and almost every year, when I walk through a certain area, I see them leaving it en masse (and sadly, I step on them cuz' they are so close together). My point being that if those small toad tads can make it, then Gambusia probably wouldn't have a whole lot of effect on Spring Peeper tads.

I have a couple formal journal articles on Gambusia and frogs. I'll have to read them.

[Bill B]

Being a very small species in stature, I am willing to bet since you found fish there, you won't find tadpoles. Find some vernal pools and see what you can scoop out of them. Last year I managed to scoop out a spotted salamander larva, that I raised up. The damn thing is huge now!

Well, in the wetland where I found Gambusia (mosquitofish), I found a number of peepers about to emerge or just emerging.

[Bill B]

Spring peepers are very loud. I have heard them calling in empty fields with no water.

Thus I imagine pinpointing them by sound would be both pretty painful, and pretty difficult.

Oh, I meant that finding the tads is very difficult. I found a male this spring and kept it.