Blue Mountains Tree Frog (Litoria citropa)
Story by Tracie McMahon
A record-breaking 17,400 individual recordings were submitted to the Australian Museum as part of Frog ID Week 2023. But it’s not just about breaking records. Frogs are one of the most threatened species on Earth and they are an indicator of planetary health. The ‘croaks’, ‘bleats’ and ‘bonks’ that greet early evenings and rainy days indicate the health of our waterways. Lithgow and Oberon Landcare Association Inc. invited locals to train their ears and torches on Farmers Creek to see what could be found during FrogID Week at one of their regular monitoring sites.
Key Points:
- Frogs are an indicator species, highlighting the health of our waterways and ecosystems.
- Australia has 240 known native frogs. Fifteen are currently endangered, twelve are listed as vulnerable and four have become extinct. The Lithgow LGA has verified records of 20 unique species.
- Frog ID is an app developed in conjunction with the Australian Museum, enabling everyone to provide valuable data for scientists and specialist biologists to monitor and understand frog populations. The FrogID website is also a great source of information for keen froggers wanting to know where and what has been found in their LGA.
Frog ID Week is an Australian Museum program held in the first week of November to monitor the health of one of the most threatened species on Earth. The program began in 2017 to address the challenge of gathering data about Australia’s geographically and biologically diverse frog populations. The Australian Museum says, “People power is revolutionising our understanding of frogs and the health of our environment.”
In Lithgow, Lithgow and Oberon Landcare Association Inc. organises frog monitoring events across the entire year, aiming to raise awareness and community participation in citizen science projects and provide valuable data about the health of the local waterways. Steve Fleischmann, Landcare Coordinator explains:
“Frogs are indicators of environmental health because they are:
- Sensitive to changes in environmental conditions due to their porous skin;
- Indicators of the presence of species that they prey upon such as insects; and
- Indicators of the presence of predators such as snakes and birds, that prey upon them.”
During Frog ID week, locals were invited to take a twilight walk on Farmers Creek, learn how to use the Frog ID app and see what they could find and record.
Local Frog Populations
Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii) Spotted hoping across Tank St, Lithgow, in heavy rain (Photo: Steve Fleischmann)
The town of Lithgow has seven monitoring sites which are regularly checked by the Department of Planning and Environment or Landcare. The sites are at the Waterworks below Farmers Creek Dam, Brewery Lane Bridge, Inch St Park, Vale of Clwydd Creek at Lake Pillans, State Mine Creek, Geordie St Causeway and Cooerwull Road Bridge. During the last six years, frogs that have been found at these sites include:
- Blue Mountains Tree Frog, Litoria citropa
- Bleating Tree Frog, Litoria dentata
- Peron’s Tree Frog, Litoria peronii
- Whistling Tree Frog, Litoria verreauxii
- Eastern Sign-Bearing Froglet, Crinia parinsignifera
- Common Eastern Froglet, Crinia signifera
- Eastern Banjo Frog, Limnodynastes durmerilii
- Striped Marsh Frog, Limnodynastes peronii
- Spotted Marsh Frog, Limnodyastes tasmaniensis
- Bibron’s Toadlet, Pseudophyrne bibronii
Citizen Science data recorded by the FrogID App and verified by the Australian Museum indicates twenty species have been found in the Lithgow LGA since 2017. Each dot in the screenshot below, sourced from the Frog ID website (https://www.frogid.net.au/) indicates one or more verified frog calls. Each record can be ‘zoomed in’ to provide more information on the specific frogs found, including dates.
Extract from FrogID data 21-11-23, in the Lithgow LGA
Let’s go frogging
The best time to go ‘frogging’ is dusk and night as this is when they are most active. Only male frogs call and the peak frogging seasons in Lithgow are Spring, Summer and Autumn, when they are breeding and foraging. Warm rainy nights are perfect for a diversity of frogs, with FrogID records peaking during November.
Our Frog ID event is coordinated by Steve Fleischmann, Landcare Coordinator, Lithgow and Oberon Landcare. We meet at 6.30 on a balmy evening at the Brewery Lane Bridge beside a large park. Surrounding the park are century-old cottages and buildings including the historic Zig Zag Brewery, built on the site of a rock-filtered spring.
Farmers Creek begins high in the hills to the North of Clarence Station, flowing through Lithgow, then turning Southwest at Marangaroo to join Lake Lyell. The section of the creek that runs under the Brewery Lane Bridge has a natural earth and stone bed and has been adversely affected by flooding over the last few years, with loss of stream banks and widening. There are several fallen trees in the creek, and Steve explains that it is important that the debris is not cleared as it creates valuable habitat for the frogs, as well as a food source. Frogs eat the insects and algae that live in and around the fallen timber.
As we cross the bridge and walk along the creek bank, Steve points out the varied heights of native vegetation and grasses planted by the Oakey Park Landcare group, who have been working to rehabilitate the site for over five years. Large infestations of blackberry have been removed, replaced with several hundred tubestock comprising Acacia, Juncus, Leptospermum, Eucalypts and Lomandra.
A participant asks, “what was the creek like before industrialisation took over?” Steve replies that “returning the creek to its natural state is unrealistic. The goal is to increase biodiversity. The impacts of the last 150 years are many, including devegetation, interruptions to the way the creek can flow, industrial rubbish and exotic species invasion. Removing weeds that transform the ecosystem and improving connectivity between bushland fragments, increases both resilience and biodiversity.”
“One of the reasons for the Landcare frog monitoring program is to provide baseline data of environmental health. The frog monitoring sites correspond to planning units and zones in the Farmers Creek Management masterplan. The data helps us know whether or not revegetation programs are having the desired effect of improving biodiversity and to monitor for toxins potentially entering the system.”
Our group of froggers at the Brewery Lane site
Using Frog ID
As we wait for the sun to dip, Steve explains how to use Frog ID, playing back the recorded calls so we can all get our ‘ears-in’ for species we are likely to find.
The website www.frogid.net.au has a full set of instructions for use and the app can be downloaded to any smartphone using Google Play (for Android) or App Store (for iPhone). The key things to remember are:
- You need to have a quiet space, so the frog call can be clearly heard.
- There must be twenty seconds of call recorded.
- All frogs are verified by a team of humans at the Australian Museum so it can take weeks for them to verify the recording, but it will be reviewed.
- To maximise the information available to the verifier, ensure you include the habitat (e.g., natural, or man-made), water body (e.g., creek, pond, lake, flooded area) and location.
- Use the suggested calls to narrow down the search. The app uses AI based on your location to suggest an ID. At Brewery Lane, Frog ID suggested 28 possible species.
- Once the sighting is verified, you will receive a verification message.
All IDs are important. Not just new and unusual sightings. I am heartened by this message from my very first ID:
My first FrogID results
Frog listening
The sun casts a golden light across the creek as our group of a dozen avid froggers wanders along a hundred metre stretch between two bridges. Our heads turn one way and then the other, tuning our ears, making sure we have an accurate count of frogs, and are not distracted by an ‘alpha’ frog projecting up the creek.
Steve suggests he may have heard a Bleating or Screaming tree frog and plays the recording of the call on Frog ID for us to check, but alas, the rest of us were unable to verify, and he did not record the required twenty seconds of call, so the potential sighting goes unrecorded.
After our half hour wander, we agree there are around ten Common Eastern Froglets in residence, and perhaps one Banjo frog. We record our findings on the Landcare monitoring sheet and submit our calls to FrogID for verification, hoping that our ears are as finely tuned as we hoped.
Ten seconds of sound capturing the Common Eastern Froglet
A week later, I am delighted to find my recording from the Lithgow Frog ID night was verified and was correct.
The FROG ID screen confirming the ID of a Common Eastern Froglet
At the time of writing the 2023 Frog ID event resulted in 627,947 calls being submitted Australia wide. There were 985,655 verified frogs from 220 species.
In Lithgow, 4,565 recordings have been made since the start of the project in 2017 with 20 different species recorded by 350 froggers. Data from the 2023 Frog ID separated into LGAs had not been updated at the time of writing, but the frogging results for the year to September 2023 indicates there were 315 frog calls recorded from 15 different species by 54 users. By far the most common species sighted was the Common Eastern Froglet, followed by the Whistling Tree Frog and Striped Marsh Frog.
Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia signifera)
The data on the site also indicates the number of calls recorded has reduced considerably over the past few years. But remember that is a product not just of the number of frogs, but the number of froggers counting.
The Australian Museum says “saving frogs from the threats of disease, habitat loss, climate change and urbanisation is an urgent mission – Australia’s native frog species are in trouble, and we need to act fast. FrogID is revolutionising our understanding of frogs and the health of our environment.”
Seems like it might be time to grab a torch and get ‘frogging.’
Take Action:
- Learn more about frogs and the Frog ID program at www.frogid.net.au. Download the free FrogID App using Google Play for Android or App Store for iPhone and go frogging – 24/7 anywhere, anytime.
- Adopt a part of Farmers creek or other waterways, like Lake Pillans or Vale Creek, and make regular recordings and submit them.
- Join one of Lithgow and Oberon Landcare’s activities and help care for Lithgow’s environment. Contact Steve Fleischmann on 0419 795 781, or steven.fleischmann@lithgow.nsw.gov.au or find them on Facebook.
Share this article:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
News From Around The Region
Some of the most popular activities we`ve run over the last year have been our plant-based cooking demonstrations. If you`d like to learn more about how to prepare meals that are cheaper, healthier and better for the planet, Teja Brooks Pribac from PlantInspired will be demonstrating how to use pantry essentials to create delicious and healthy plant-based meals tomorrow: Friday 6 December at Junction 142 in Katoomba. Ph. 0434 691 496
#plantbased #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthdiet #cookingclass #katoomba #bluemountains
If you`ve heard about how inspiring and fun our Skillshare Saturdays are with our free Upcycling Fashion workshop from 9am to 3pm, our Wildlife Exhibition from 9am to 1pm, and our Bushcare to regenerate the Planetary Health Precinct at 1.30pm, there`s still one more opportunity in 2024 to come along and join in, this Saturday 7 December. Well be having some delicious Christmas nibbles to celebrate the end of a very productive year and all are welcome. The Planetary Health Centre is at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba. Bookings for Upcycling essential (link in profile). To find out more about joining Bushcare ring 0407 437553 #upcyclingfashion #bushcare #planetaryhealth #learntosew #patternmaking #katoomba #bluemountains #natureconnection #wildlifeexhibition #birdphotos #wires
The inspiring Lyrebird Festival kicks off in the Megalong Valley this evening and runs until Sunday 17th November. Enjoy a weekend of music, art, food, wine, talks and nature walks as The Bowerbird Collective brings together art, science, conservation and world class music performances. All events can be booked separately or together with a Festival pass. Pricing includes a `Pay what you can` option.
The Lyrebird can be heard in the Megalong Valley imitating the calls of hundreds of other species, as well as producing their own thrilling sounds. The festival also includes a very special film screening of The Message of the Lyrebird on Sunday afternoon.
Tickets available here: https://bit.ly/3AON8In
(or at link in profile)
#megalongvalley #lyrebirds #lyrebirdfestival #bowerbirdcollective #bluemountains #planetaryhealth
In April 2021 Blue Mountains City Council became the first local government in Australia to adopt a motion to integrate Rights of Nature principles into its operations and practices. Today the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative, the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute and lawyer Kingsley Liu, had the great pleasure of workshopping further ways to implement Rights of Nature with this inspiring group of Law students from the University of New South Wales.
#rightsofnature #UNSW #lawstudents #planetaryhealth #bluemountains
At our World Animal Day event we launched the Community Supporting Community Program with a plant based cheese degustation. Teja Brooks Pribac from PlantInspired is now offering interactive classes in which you can have fun learning new techniques for using vegetables to create delicious meals that are good for your health and the health of the planet. Small groups: 6-8 people. $65.50pp. Bookings essential.
Classes currently on offer:
Plant-based cheese making & demo
Saturday 9 Nov, 1-3pm. Lawson NSW: https://www.facebook.com/events/1274663973560691
[DATE CHANGE!] The Tastemaster: how to turn your average vegetable into a mouthwatering masterpiece
Sunday 17 November, 11am-2pm. Katoomba: https://www.facebook.com/events/517611447925601
End of year special: plant-based cooking essentials 2-class bundle
Saturday 30 November, Sunday 1 December, 11am-2pm. Katoomba NSW: https://www.facebook.com/events/1116156823213312
Cooking with seitan
Saturday 7 December, 11am-2pm. Katoomba NSW. https://www.facebook.com/events/1553960262666738
PlantInspired is also offering interactive plant-based cooking classes and demos for individual clients, private groups and businesses. Choose from a range of preset classes or get in touch to tailor your own.
All profits utilised to help vulnerable members of the community through the Community Supporting Community program. Check the website for more info: www.plantinspired.com.au (link in profile)
#plantinspired #plantbasedcooking #vegan #community #planetaryhealth
Skillshare Saturdays literally offer a `breath of fresh air` at the Planetary Health Centre on the first Saturday of the month! At our free Upcycling Fashion workshop this month you can learn more about all types of zips and how to do basic pockets and pocket flaps. You can bring your own sewing machine or use one of ours. And at Bushcare in the afternoon, you can immerse yourself in the bush at the Planetary Health Precinct as you help restore habitat and protect biodiversity (while meeting some great people and enjoying time in nature). Bookings essential for Upcycling Fashion at Eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/4dZWUoM (link in profile)
If you`d like to join our Bushcare Group contact Karen Hising at khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or call the Bushcare Office on 4780 5623
#upcyclingfashion #skillshare #planetaryhealth #bushcare #community #togetherwecan #zerowaste #regeneration #circulareconomy
As 190 countries gather for the @cop16colombia UN Biodiversity Summit, to focus on how we can protect the world’s flora and fauna, we’d like to thank all those local individuals and organisations dedicated to the same goal who came together for World Animal Day at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre on Saturday 5 October. They offered ways for everyone to learn more and take action. From the Blue Mountains Bird Observers, who led over 40 people on a guided Breakfast with the Birds walk, to many others who offered information stalls, talks, workshops, a Wild Life exhibition, live music, plant-based food and hands-on Bushcare. We also launched the Community Plant Based Cooking Project with the first class to be held on Saturday 9 November at @roseyravelstonbooks in Lawson. Places are limited. Learn more here: https://plantinspired.com.au/
#worldanimalday #biodiversity #plantbased #planetaryhealth #bluemountains #katoomba
Did you know that old lino, window putty, and adhesive can contain asbestos? Yesterday the Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Management Conference kicked off with a pre-conference workshop at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. It included hands-on `spot the asbestos` and asbestos sampling sessions. This year`s theme is `Working together for a safe and healthy future`. #asbestos #hazardousmaterials #conference #planetaryhealth #bluemountains #katoomba
Delicious plant based and gluten free pastries courtesy of Clean Cravings at World Animal Day today at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. Such a lovely day! #planetaryhealth #worldanimalday
Paul Nagle and other members of the Blue Mountains Bird Observers leading 40 people on a Guided Breakfast with the Birds as part of World Animal Day at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Precinct. It`s a stunning day. Lots more to come at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba.
A huge thank you to Josh Logan from Logan Signs, Lithgow, for installing our Circular Water Signage in time for our World Animal Day Celebration today at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre (33-39 Acacia St Katoomba). We have a full program of events with lots of information on how to prepare for the summer ahead and how to create urban areas that help us share our home respectfully with all species. It will be a fun family day too with storytime, craft and live music for kids! (Link in profile) #worldanimalday #planetaryhealth #familyday #katoomba #bluemountains
And our Wild Life exhibition is now up for World Animal Day tomorrow at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. Photographs by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins, Holly Kent and Tracy Burgess. Check out all the other events from stalls, talks, possum box demo, kid`s craft and animal storytime, plant based food and live music to Bushcare. @33-39 Acacia St Katoomba Link in profile. #planetaryhealth #worldanimalday #katoomba
