Backyard Nature: An amphibian chorus is warming up for its yearly performance

An American Toad in Rock Creek Park. (2017 photo by the author)

by Marlene Berlin

It begins every year with a faint, high-pitched hum.

In early March, I start listening for the song of the American toad. These creatures open the annual spring amphibian chorus, and their song grows stronger as April approaches.

Here’s what it sounds like, up close and personal:

And here’s what I heard a week ago on Linnean Avenue by the Broad Branch stream.

Among the best places to hear the American toad sing are the daylighted Linnean and Broad Branch streams. This year, however, I did not hear the toads’ song until the end of March, first at the pond in front of the former Polish ambassador’s residence at 3101 Albemarle Street, then near the Soapstone trailhead on Broad Branch Road.

It’s the second straight year they’ve opened their concert late, and my thoughts turned to the relentless decline in the global amphibian population. Reasons differ by region. Reduced numbers in the northeastern U.S. have been linked to human development and agriculture, while declines in the southern and western states have been blamed on climate change. Under these circumstances, the frogs’ mating activities each spring take on a greater significance.

American toad males first establish their territory, then use their song to attract females. As the weather warms, the frog chorus will grow louder, and a greater variety of species will join in. This site can help you identify the area’s most common frogs by their appearance and their calls.

It’s a welcome to spring you do not want to miss.