ANYONE with a smartphone can help scientists track Australia’s frogs during FrogID Week, which runs from 6 to 15 November.
The Coffs Coast’s lush creeks, wetlands and wet forests make it a good place to listen in on our amphibian friends.
Now in its ninth year, the Australian Museum’s FrogID project has gathered more than 1.5 million records.
You simply record a call with the free app and museum experts review and identify the frogs in every recording.
You also have the option of playing and selecting calls from a shortlist of species in your area and get to see the reviewed results in your account.
“It helps to try recording at dusk or after rain, near creeks, ponds and dams,” said Australian Museum Frog ID Coordinator Nadiah Roslan explains.
“Even if you don’t know what species it is, it’s important to record.”
New research found 86 per cent of almost 500,000 NSW records came from private land.
“We can do a lot for biodiversity by understanding what we have on our own properties,” Ms Roslan said.
Locally, she suggested keeping an ear out for the giant barred frog, which has a deep grunt and can be heard at night, and the mountain-dwelling sphagnum frog, an icon of northern NSW’s wetter forests.
FrogID data and research have had some astounding impacts.
After the Black Summer bushfires, the data citizen scientists collected resulted in the listing of the sphagnum frog and the stream-dwelling Davies’ tree frog as vulnerable under national environment law.
Chytrid fungus and habitat loss are among their threats.
Locals might also listen for the tiny wallum froglet, whose call sounds like a tiny ringing bell in coastal wallum swamps, and the backyard favourite, the striped marsh frog, which some describe as sounding like a dripping tap.
No frog calls? No problem.
You can submit a “no frog” record at any time.
FrogID records currently cover 44 per cent of Australia, and scientists want to pass 50 per cent.
The app is so simple and fun, with its gamified badge system, that it has attracted around 54,000 contributors.
Of these, only seven have earned the coveted Australia Wide badge, awarded to people with records from every state and territory.
The app is also playing a critical role in inspiring nature connection and protection.
Many say it changes how they see their surroundings.
“Three months ago, I knew nothing about frogs, and now it’s all I see and hear,” one said.
Another observed: “It makes us feel like we really can make a difference at a local level.”
By Jessica MILLER
You can help your local paper.
Make a small once-off, or (if you can) a regular donation.
We are an independent family owned business and our newspapers are free to collect and our news stories are free online.
Help support us into the future.
