how-to guide

About Frogs

Each species of frog and toad has a unique call.
Click here to learn how to identify the frogs in your province.

Listen for Frogs and Toads in the Spring

In Ontario, for example, frogs and toads call from March through August. As a FrogWatch volunteer, you would monitor these calls from spring through to the end of June.

Here are some easy steps to follow when listening for frog and toad calls in your area:

1. Choose a suitable location
2. Listen for three minutes (or longer if possible) each time you monitor
3. Ideally, monitor once or twice a week, but even a single report is valuable

Monitoring Tips:

• Dusk is the best time to monitor. Most frog/toad calls peak at dusk, but some species (e.g. green frogs, peepers) will call during the day, especially after rain; you may prefer to monitor then.
• Remain quiet and still while monitoring a habitat; it is important not to disturb the frogs, toads and other species.
• Calls can be heard best on still nights, so try to pick a day with little wind.
• If necessary, verify the calls you heard using the Frogwatch Website

Record Observations

Record your observations on the Frogwatch Observation Form, remembering to include the date. We ask that you rank the calling activity using one of the five categories, known as Abundance Codes, below:

1. No frogs or toads seen or heard
2. Frog (s) or toads (s) seen but not heard
3. Individuals can be counted, calls not overlapping
4. Some individuals can be counted, other calls overlapping
5. Full chorus, calls continuous and overlapping, individuals not distinguishable

It is always a good idea to submit your data as soon as possible after your observations!