Frog mating calls in August?

[Johnny Appleseed]

We are lucky to have a lot of Common Frogs in and around our garden. All ages to be found from this years hatched tadpoles to mature 3 year old mating adults.

Normally, the chorus of low, rumbling mating calls entertain us at 3am during Feb/March.

However, we were very surprised to be woken up this morning at 3am by a frog mating call from the pond outside the bedroom window. It went on for about 30 mins.

Anyone else with amorous frogs in August please?

With our current mild winters any tadpoles may survive but I've never heard them call for mates in August before.

Do we have a late starter or an early developer do you think?

[Birdie Wife]

It could be that now the daylight has started to wane, the frogs are confused because it's the same daylight hours as when they started calling in early spring! Daylight is one of the cues they use to work out when to start breeding. Birds do it too - I've heard wood larks singing their heads off in early November in Dorset. Don't woryr, it's unlikely they'll get up to much, they'll work it out in the end!

[Johnny Appleseed]

Thanks Birdie Wife. I'll see if it happens again tonight unless the ear plugs go in :-)

[Johnny Appleseed]

Well my froggie did go "a wooing go" again last night at about the same time.

My Amorous August Amphibian is desperate for a mate - unless it just a summer romance.

I don't suppose he will write, phone or send any flowers.............

[Birdie Wife]

Might attract some princesses though? Worth keeping an eye out

[Johnny Appleseed]

Might attract some princesses though? Worth keeping an eye out

OK that's a plan. Tonight I'm going to hide in the garden shed and wait for a princess to appear.

Then I'll leap out and she can kiss me instead of the frog.

(Am I dreaming?)

Anyway, I couldn't afford a princess - they are high maintenance items

[Birdie Wife]

Oh, totally. All those mattresses, mirrors and towers. And you'd have to polish your shining armour, like, every day. Nah.

[SueA]

I think the frogs probably are confused, we've not got any doing 'mating' calls at the moment but we do seem to have lots of different sized babies around the garden as though mating has been going on all year. Go on give him a kiss Johnny & see what happens!

[Johnny Appleseed]

Go on give him a kiss Johnny & see what happens!

ROFL Sue. My wife said she had to kiss a lot of frogs before she met me - perhaps I'll send her out in the garden tonight at 3am.

Like you we have lots of baby frogs in the long grass, under flower pots and on the lawn.

This might seem a dumb question - but is it the male calling for a female or the female calling for a male please?

Your answer will of course dictate which one of us goes "frog snogging" tonight. Then we'll see whose got the longest tongue.

I'm creased up at the thought of this and trying to persuade my wife to do it to see what happens. If she runs off with a prince - I'll be gutted.

Although for her to do that he would have to look like Johnny Depp or she wouldn't be that interested

[Headfry]

I heard their calls this time last year, and again this year.... it's all gone mad!

[SueA]

I think it's only the male who calls Johnny so you'd better send your wife to do the kissing!

[Headfry]

I tried croaking in reply.....dont ask why but the other frogs tried to out croak me.........
clearly I need to get out more!

[Johnny Appleseed]

Sadly I found an adult frog floating upside down in the pond today. I don't know what caused it to die, there were no obvious signs of exernal damage but I do seem to remember some frog virus doing the rounds earlier in the year.

And the early morning calls stopped when the temperature dropped rapidly a week or so ago.