Frogs can be found almost anywhere in Australia in many different types of habitats. When you start frog spotting it is important to remember that most species of frog have their own preferred niche.
For example:
- in and around vegetation on the edges of ponds, swamps or dams
- under stones and logs
- in trees and foliage
- in puddles where water occurs only occasionally
- under the eaves and around water tanks in buildings
Handy tools for frog spotting
Portable tape recorders or CD players are very handy tools for locating individual frogs. Record frog calls that you hear and then play the calls back to the same frogs - they will usually respond to the recording. By repeating the process, you can zero in on them and make a visual identification. Or you could learn to mimic frog calls yourself. You might like to make recordings of frogs for later comparisons. For best results, use a hand held microphone and get as close as possible.
Photographs from disposable, waterproof cameras are also useful for verifying identifications.
A waterproof torch is also very useful for spotting frogs. Shine the torch in the direction of likely locations and you may see yellowish orange reflections of from frogs' eyes.
Triangulation
Tracking down frogs is made easier if at least three people are involved. To pinpoint a frog's location, participants surround the frog, keeping roughly equal positions from each other. Each person approaches, carefully and slowly, pointing as they move closer to where the frog will be found - this technique is called triangulation. The same procedure can be done at night with torches.
Heard but not seen
One way to identify a frog is to listen to its call and compare it with known frog calls in your region. Every species has a distinct mating call unlike any other. Frog calls for most Australian frogs can be found in the Australian Frog Database on this website.
A hard days night
Many frogs are most active at night - although some such as the Growling Grass Frog, Litoria raniformis, may be seen basking during the day in sunny spots near the waters edge. Frogs are easiest to find on warm still nights after a good rain, especially during the breeding season.
Related Links
Become a frog spy - New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/Become+a+frog+spy