Showing posts with label emerald spotted tree frog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emerald spotted tree frog. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Visits after the rain

Massive rain of late has been a boon for amphibians.
Local swampland has been alive with the calls of many species, though one species is visiting in mass. The Emerald Spotted Tree-frog.
Attracted to insects drawn by the light from windows we have had as many as five at a time on one window, curiously studying me I photographed them.

I thought I would include this shot, as the way the legs are positioned make the creature look more alien than it already does, when I noticed something strange.
The frog has two mosquitoes on it and they seem to be feeding.
The shots are a little rough, though show the little mozzies seemingly feeding on an amphibian. Perhaps someone may say it happens all the time, though it was news to me.



Mozzies are an unwelcome visitor to many, it seems.
Here is another.
Looking cute and alert, this years baby Red Bellied Black Snake was checking if the rains had finished.
Driven from the spot where it lived in our yard by rising water, it found shelter in the shed.
It proceeded to the garden where I watched it catch some small skinks for lunch.
Many animals have had to relocate with the rains.
Meetings, both welcome and unwelcome, with we humans are at a high.
In Australia, as in any other place we are graced by the natural world, its a matter of learning how to coexist and share our space.
No, the Red Belly cant come inside.
The shed will have to do.


Thursday, March 19, 2009

More of nature's antics

Magpies are very interesting creatures to watch.
You never know what they will get up to next.
This inquisitive bird has found a piece of tennis ball.
I imagine that it would make a good nest liner, though nesting is over and it looks like this bird was hatched from this breeding season.
More evidence of play with a purpose perhaps.



Then there was this little frog I found today.
Looking almost black in colour, I thought I had found another species, though it turned out to be a juvenile Emerald spotted tree frog.
This individual had colour coordinated himself to his dark surrounds and can be seen somewhat lighter in the second shot.
It eventually ended up tan in colour over a 5 min period.



Nature is full of surprises with nothing quite what it seems.
Sometimes it takes a second look to make sure.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

A Tree Frog



After a recent rainstorm I found this frog on the veranda railing.
I am reasonably sure it is Litoria peronii ( The Emerald Spotted Tree frog )

It seems this amphibian can change colour depending on the time of day, the temperament of the individual, and with temperature!
It's finger and toe pads were large, with the fingers half webbed and the toes were almost fully webbed.
It measured in at an impressive 60mm.

Its registered habitat is in line with my surrounds: forests, grasslands, and open ground.
I have a dam nearby, and It is commonly found near rivers, creeks, lagoons and flooded areas over large sections of eastern Australia.