And not just any toads, oh no, these are toads with cool scientific names: Bufo Americanus. That's "American toad" to you and me and grade-school science books.
Over night it seems our serene fish pond turned into a toad orgy; again, I'm not kidding.And the sounds these toads make! Good grief! Click here to listen to the toads that I recorded just this afternoon.
And this goes on and on and on, throughout the night. So, not wanting to be driven crazy by what I assumed as a single toad in my pond, I went out, flashlight in hand and promptly nabbed the offender in nothing flat. And just as I was congratulating myself, the sound was back and this time I noticed there was a kind of "call and answer" rhythm to the sounds.
Sure enough, over the course of just a half hour I pulled 15 toads out of that pond... I obviously missed a dozen or so more!
Here's what assorted official "we really study toads for a living" web sites have to say about the American Toad:
The male's advertisement call is a long, dreamlike, musical trill lasting from several seconds to 30 seconds or more (average duration around 10-15 seconds). Each male in a chorus sings at a slightly different pitch, with males alternating and overlapping their calls in a pleasing manner.
American toads are mainly nocturnal, and are most active when the weather is warm and humid. They are solitary, congregating only at breeding ponds in the early summer and late spring. During the day American toads hide under rocks or logs or dig into dead leaves and soil. In regions with a cold winter, American toads dig deeper to hibernate. When digging they back in, pushing out dirt with their back legs.
