Outdoor Monday

It is official, we are Citizen Scientists!  We passed our frog call quiz with flying colors and are now  volunteers with the Maine Amphibian Monitoring Program; this past week we completed our first run.

Mark, Silas, Levi and I headed to Jackman, Maine to collect information about the breeding calls of spring peepers and wood frogs in the area.  Our survey route is located near the base of Moose Mountain, about 10 miles from the Canadian border.  It is a very beautiful and sparsely populated area.  We didn't see many people, but did see a lot of moose.

And, of course, a lot of frogs and frog eggs.

About a half-hour after sunset, we started out on our route along a logging road.  At ten different wetland stops, the boys quietly splashed in puddles as we listened for breeding calls and recorded the relative abundance and species of early season frogs. 

You can see me listening very hard in the background of this photo:

 

We'll return to Jackman to do the survey route two more times, in late spring and again in summer, to collect information about the later season breeding frogs and toads.  We're all looking forward to it. 

I can't say enough good things about this program; it has allowed our family to do volunteer work together to support conservation efforts, while spending time outdoors in a beautiful place and we've learned a lot to boot.  About two months ago, I don't think any one of us could have identified a frog call besides that of the spring peeper.  Now, we all know a LOT about amphibians in general and can easily identify the breeding calls of all 9 frogs & toads that live in Maine.  We're collecting real and useful scientific data and we are having a lot of fun!

If you are in Maine, consider volunteering as a citizen scientist for Maine Audubon, they have many different and interesting programs (we're looking forward to the owl monitoring project next winter) and most can be done with children.  For those not in Maine, check out these cool projects!

Comments

[Mark]

I can't believe how much fun this has been for us....I love it!

[Lisa]

What a cool thing to do!! Glad to hear you've had such success!

[Gwynneth Beasley]

That sounds like the best program. Being able to identift frog calls - that is amazing! Good on you for signing up!

[Deb]

Yes! I love this so much Michelle! I am so proud of you and the boys. What a huge accomplishment! I have to say, this is homeschooling/unschooling at its FINEST! I liked your photo with your official paperwork identifier in your van window!

[Michelle]

Thanks Lisa!

[Michelle]

Thanks Gwynneth!  I have a feeling that recognizing all the frog calls in your part of the world would be much more difficult, it is a pretty cold climate here, so weve only 9 calls to identify.

[Michelle]

Hi Deb!  Thank you!  It is such a fun project, when you the boys get settled, youll have to check out the link at the end of the blog, there are so many interesting citizen projects that you guys could take part in.

[Nana]

Silas and Levi, do you think you could teach me to identify the different frog calls? It looks like you were in a beautiful part of Maine. I wish I could have been there to see the moose!

[angela]

Congratulations to all of you on your achievement! This doesn't sound easy, but very, very fascinating. I would LOVE this. Way to go!

[Martine]

Can you all mimic the frogs? I'm requesting a video clip for the blog of all of you copying their calls - that would be GREAT!!!!! We have a professor at Hopkins that studies bird brains and bird calls - he's amazing at making bird sounds. Very cool project - can't wait to read about the next visits to your assigned territory and what you discover.

[Michelle]

Silas says yes, he can definitely teach you!

Levi says peep, peep = peeper, gunk gunk gunk = green frog, quack, quack quack = wood duck.  The other sounds I am unable to transcribe, hell have to make them in person.

[Michelle]

Thank you Angela!  Just think, you, Sophia and the baby could be doing this kind of thing in a couple years.  Maybe you and Sophia should come along with us on our next run!

[Michelle]

Hi Martine!  I love the idea of a video clip of frog calls!  Silas and Levi are pretty good at mimicking the calls and when Mark snores, he sounds exactly like a pickerel frog, so much so that the boys always call it a Papa pickerel frog.  I think I need to make that video.