What’s making that peep or croak or trill on a spring evening? The newly-updated CD “Calls of the Wild: Vocalizations of Georgia’s Frogs” may have the answer.
Produced by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources with a grant from The Environmental Resources Network, “Calls of the Wild” explores the amazing sounds and life histories of the 32 frog and toad species found in Georgia.
The CD features brief narratives and recorded calls for each native and non-native species, plus more than 20 minutes of mixed-species choruses that can serve as soothing natural background music or test your frog identification skills. A 24-page booklet is packed with species profiles, photographs and range maps.
First released in 2003, “Calls of the Wild” has been revised to include the discovery in coastal Georgia of invasive Cuban treefrogs, and an expanded booklet with color photographs, new maps and other details.
John Jensen, a senior wildlife biologist with the DNR Wildlife Resource Division, said listeners will learn about Georgia’s frogs, their calls and calling behavior. The CD “allows people to better appreciate the sounds around them,” said Jensen, who works with the division’s Nongame Conservation Section and co-authored “Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia” (UGA Press, 2008).
Mr. Jensen also pointed out that, as with bird watching, wildlife observers often find an animal by first hearing it. “If you’re hoping to see a bird-voiced treefrog, you better know what it sounds like.”
From the “song” of bird-voiced treefrogs to the retching call of eastern spadefoot toads, nearly of the call recordings were made by frog expert Walter Knapp. The revised CD and booklet were funded by The Environmental Resources Network, or TERN, friends group of the Nongame Conservation Section. Terry W. Johnson, former Nongame program manager and TERN’s executive director, narrated the CD.
To order a copy, please send $14.84 to: Ga. DNR Wildlife Resources Division, Nongame Conservation Section, 116 Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth, GA 31029, ATTN: Calls of the Wild CD. The price includes $11.45 for the CD, $.80 in sales tax (Georgia residents only!) and $2.59 for shipping and handling. Make checks payable to: Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund.
Proceeds go to the Wildlife Conservation Fund, created by state law to conserve rare and other wildlife not hunted or fished for, from frogs to bald eagles, as well as native plants and natural habitats.
The fund supports the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state appropriations for the work. The agency depends on grants, direct contributions and fundraisers such as sales and renewals of eagle and hummingbird license plates and the Wildlife Conservation Fund state income tax checkoff.
Learn how you can help: www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/support.
To order “Calls of the Wild,” visit www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/frogCD or call 478 994-1438.