Calling frogs in Lanark County
I've compiled a list of the frog species for our county, with some information on their breeding and calling. I have sorted them roughly by their order of calling starting in early spring with Wood Frogs and ending with American Bullfrogs in July.
WOOD FROG
Found in wooded areas throughout the county. Breeds in temporary woodland ponds and ditches. Often the first frog to call in the spring as soon as the snow as melted and sometimes when there is still some ice on their breeding ponds. The call is a duck-like “quack”, repeated rapidly several times. Calling starts in early April and only lasts for a couple of weeks.
BOREAL CHORUS FROG
Distributed very locally down the eastern side of the county. Breeds in roadside ditches and temporary ponds in fields. This is one of the first frogs to be heard in the spring. Calling is heard in early April (exceptionally late March). The call is very loud (for the size of the frog) and sounds like drawing a thumb nail over the teeth of a comb.
SPRING PEEPER
Found in wooded areas over much of the county. Breeds in temporary ponds in or near woods. Calling can start in early April but the main chorus is in late April or early May. Some calling can be heard into late June or early July. The call is a shrill, “peep-peep-peep”. At our location near Almonte, we hear some calling in the woods in September and October, as well, although the calls we hear then sound a bit different from the breeding calls.
AMERICAN TOAD
Common throughout the county. Breed in a wide variety of shallow water habitats, often temporary pools. Calling is heard from late April to June with the peak in May during heavy warm rains. The call is a long steady trill.
NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG
Abundant throughout the county. Breeds in marshes and shallow lake margins. Calling may begin in April, slightly later than Wood Frog. Peak chorus is in May. The call is a long groaning snore, usually followed by several low grunts.
PICKEREL FROG
There are no records in iNaturalist of Pickerel Frog from Lanark County or even from the City of Ottawa. The closest iNaturalist records are from Gatineau Park and the Frontenac Axis south and west from Westport. There are also a few records from eastern Algonquin Prov. Park. The Westport location is close enough that it is definitely worth looking for this species in Lanark County, especially on the Shield. It breeds along lake margins and possibly in stream backwaters and ponds. Calls in May. The call is a low-pitched snore, rather similar to Leopard Frog but the examples online that I have heard seem to lack the following grunts. Habitats are much like those of Leopard Frog. It would be great to add Pickerel Frog to the county list. Murphy’s Point Prov. Park might be a good place to look… and listen… for it.
GREY TREEFROG
Fairly common in wooded areas of the county. Records from the far west of the county seem very limited for some reason. Breeds in temporary ponds with flooded bushes. Calling starts in late May and continues into early June. The call is a short, loud, resonant trill, “brrrr”. Some calls are heard in trees, often high above the ground, away from breeding sites throughout the summer. I suspect that this is territorial calling from feeding or roosting sites but I can’t base this on science.
GREEN FROG
Common throughout the county. Breeds in permanent ponds and shallow heavily vegetated areas of lakes and rivers. Calls in May and June, occasional calling males into July. The call is a banjo-like “chung”.
MINK FROG
Locally distributed in the north and west of the county, but I suspect it is often overlooked. Not found in agricultural areas. Breeds in quiet, lilypad-choked streams, bogs and lakes. Calls in late May and June. The call sounds like someone knocking on a desk top, “cut-cut”.
AMERICAN BULLFROG
There are records from across the county, but much more locally distributed than the Green Frog due to its need for large, permanent water bodies. Breeds in large permanent ponds, lakes and river margins with little or no current in June and July. The call is the well-known loud, booming, “jug-o-rum”.
Most of the information on breeding and calls is from:
Cook, F.R. 1968. The toads, treefrogs and frogs of the Ottawa District. Trail and Landscape. 2(2): 50-56.
