Dueling Bullfrogs in West Park. The new pond in West Park suddenly became filled with bullfrogs, singing quite loudly. It’s a very nice musical addition to West Park. [photo]
West Park
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Are they fighting or loving? I couldn’t tell exactly but there was a lot of tussling and climbing on each other going on. About a dozen that we watched being very active on a spring day when the sun came out.
Those aren’t bullfrogs, they’re toads. They’re American toads, Bufo americanus (Fowler’s toad, Bufo fowleri, is found in in the western part of the state). They’re probably the most widespread amphibian in town, and the first to colonize new ponds for breeding sites. Males call to females by making a nice trilling sound. They might be fighting (males do push each other around a bit, competing for good spots to call from), but they’re probably loving. This is is the breeding time for them, that’s why the males are calling. When a female hears one she likes, she approaches and he climbs on top of her. Then when she releases her eggs into the water, he releases sperm to fertilize them. The eggs will hatch into little black tadpoles that swim in groups in the shallows, and then turn into tiny toads in mid/late summer.
The city’s Natural Area Preservation unit (supported by parks millage) has a set of webpages on our local amphibians and reptiles: [link]
Also, Ann Arbor native Nick Scobel has set up a website about Michigan amphibians and reptiles featuring his beautiful photos: [link]
So cool to see the diversity of creatures that is colonizing formerly-buried Allen Creek in West Park. If you haven’t seen the improvements (some of which are still a work in progress), you should really come down and check it out.
BTW, one can often see Eastern Bluebirds in the large oaks in the center of the park. This is the only place I have ever seen bluebirds in downtown A2.