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:
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.
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.
If you’re interested in learning how to propagate native plants and are keen to help our bush regenerate, the Bushcare Seed Collectors meet on the second Tuesday of the month. Check out how they cook Banksias to release their seed and learn more about the group, and native seed collecting, in Katoomba Area Local News here (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/bushcare-seed-collectors/
If you’d like to join the group, contact the Bushcare officer Tracy Abbas on 4780 5623 or email tabbas@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Littlejohni, the Rare and Endangered Northern Heath Frog, photographed in Woodford!
When the Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition opened at the Planetary Health Centre in March it featured photos of 20 different local frogs. We were thrilled, however, when Andy Klotz and other members of the Hawkesbury Herpetological Society recently managed to photograph another frog in Woodford: the rarely seen and endangered Litoria littlejohni, also known as the Northern Heath Frog or Orange-bellied Tree Frog. We’ve added a photo of that frog to the exhibition and created a new Frogs of the Blue Mountains video in which you can listen to its call on our YouTube channel. We interviewed Andy to learn more about the Littlejohni and how they managed to find its small local population. You can read this story in Mid Mountains Local News (link in profile). #biodiversity #bluemountainsfrogs #northernheathfrog #litorialittlejohni #bluemountains #woodford #planetaryhealth #hawkesburyherpetologicalsociety...
Our newsletter is now out! Read about how you can contribute to @bluemountainscitycouncil`s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy; watch our video on Falling in Love with Glossy Black Cockatoos; see the new photos of the rare Northern Heath Frog; watch how the Bushcare Seed Collectors cook banksias to release their seeds; learn more about Tai Chi and Qigong, the Chinese medicine movement practices; and take part in our next workshop on Designing Your Future Home with Passive House Designer Karina Rafailov from @earthy_haus
Read it here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/40e4GHr
Our video on Falling In Love With Glossy Black Cockatoos is now up on our Planetary Health YouTube channel (sorry, it`s too big to share here but there`s a link in our profile).
Jayden Gunn finishes his presentation by saying:
"Care is like a snowball. The more people you tell the bigger the snowball gets, and the further it goes. And the more we know, the more we care. And the more we know, the more we`re able to help."
The video is of our fabulous Forum on Growing Connected Landscapes for the Glossy Black Cockatoo, and includes presentations by Jayden Gunn, BirdLife Australia, Amanda Foxon-Hill from Mid Lachlan Landcare, and STEM teacher Samantha Bowden from Glenbrook Public School. There`s a link with the video on how to register for the Community Tree Planting Day in Goologong on 5 July (and it`s also in our profile). Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCERdF21Ud0&t=13s
Today we`re enjoying eating ripe medlars! Medlars are attractive cold climate fruit trees that were popular in Medieval gardens. They`re one of the few fruits that can be harvested in late Autumn and eaten in early Winter when they`re fully ripe. This is a great time of year to plant them for a future harvest. Check out our short video on how to eat them! #coldclimategardens #ediblegardens #medlars #growyourown #planetaryhealth #bluemountains...
We`re thrilled to share that last night @BlueMountainsCityCouncil`s Planetary Health Centre won the Innovative Leadership Award (Population Under 150K) in the 2025 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards. What a great end to World Environment Day! 🌏 This award celebrates how local government can lead transformative change for a more sustainable future. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard with us to make our vision a reality. You can read more about what we`re doing at our website (link in profile): http://www.bluemountainsplanetaryhealth.com.au/ @ph_alliance #planetaryhealth #worldenvironmentday #localgovernmentleadership #nswlocalgovernmentexcellenceawards...
Blocking out a couple of hours a week to step off the treadmill and give ourselves time to nurture our relationship with the earth and ourselves, is one way to keep our creative spirit and ‘lust for life’ alive. If you haven’t done so yet, one opportunity over the next week is to spend some ‘slow’ time in the 2024 Wynne Prize exhibition at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre before it closes on 15 June. Read more in Katoomba Area Local News here (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/the-2024-wynne-prize/ @bluemountainsculturalcentre @artgalleryofnsw #wynneprize #landscapes #bluemountains #katoomba #artexhibition #planetaryhealth...
Recognising how violence and war impact the health of the planet, the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative has become a member of the Blue Mountains Peace Collective. On Sunday 25th May, we attended a presentation by Dr Keith Suter on Making Peace in the World Today at the Leura Uniting Church. In this powerful presentation Dr Suter questions why we learn about war rather than successful peace negotiations! View the video of his presentation below and read our full story in Katoomba Area Local News here: https://bit.ly/3Fl4WgQ (link in profile)
With an extra day up your sleeve this long weekend, it`s a great opportunity to give nature a hand to regenerate and provide more habitat for our fellow species! Join our fabulous all ages Planetary Health Bushcare Group from 1.30pm and then participate in the Forum on Growing Connected Landscapes for the Glossy Black Cockatoo at 4pm, followed by drinks and nibblies! You can also start the day with a fabulous Tai Chi session at 8am. Visit our Planetary Health Pluriversity website to book in and learn more (link in profile): https://bmpluriversity.org/program/
Or ring 0407 437 553 for more information. #planetaryhealth #bushcare #katoomba #bluemountains #glossyblackcockatoos #landcare #biodiversity #habitat #wearenature #togetherwecan...
In this inspiring interview with Medlow Bath resident Amanda Foxon-Hill she talks about her work with Mid Lachlan Landcare, why Growing Connected Landscapes for the Glossy Black Cockatoo is so important, and why she loves her work so much! Read the full story in Blackheath Area Local News here: https://blackheathnews.com/connecting-landscapes-for-glossy-black-cockatoos/
Book in for the Growing Connected Landscapes Forum at 4pm this Saturday 7 June here: https://events.humanitix.com/growing-connected-landscapes-for-the-glossy-black-cockatoo Register your interest for the Community Tree Planting Day in Goologong here: https://events.humanitix.com/glossy-black-cockatoo-community-tree-planting-5
In a world that increasingly feels out of balance, we’re thrilled to be offering Saturday morning Tai Chi and Qigong at 8am this Saturday 7 June (and the first Saturday of every month on our Skill Share Saturdays). Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art and moving meditation for body, mind and spirit. It is ideal for learning to keep calm amidst chaos but also has health benefits to increase longevity. Harvard Medical School has reported that this gentle form of exercise can help maintain strength, flexibility, and balance, and could be the perfect activity for the rest of your life. It`s particularly popular in Hong Kong, where residents have one of the highest life expectancies in the world! T`ai-Chi has also been found to improve brain function (like memory and mental flexibility) faster than other exercise and, in a recent study, comparing T`aiChi to brisk walking, the martial art was found to be significantly better at reducing blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease, like blood sugar levels and cholesterol. If you’d like to try it out, you can reserve your spot here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3FxWPgR
Learn how to Grow Connected Landscapes for the magnificent Glossy Black Cockatoo at 4pm on Saturday 7th June. In our first Planetary Health Forum we’ll be hearing from Amanda Foxon-Hill from Mid Lachlan Landcare, Jayden Gunn from Birdlife Australia and Samantha (Pongi) Bowden from Glenbrook Public School, to learn more about the Glossy and how we can all help improve its habit from the Lower Mountains to Central NSW. We’re also launching a Community Tree Planting Day on 5 July in Goologong (near Cowra) to which we’re hoping we’ll get a large group of volunteers to help make a difference for this beautiful bird (and lots of other species as well!)
Habitat connectivity is essential if species are to adapt and overcome the challenges posed by our changing climate.
Join us as we imagine life as a Glossy Black Cockatoo. We`ll make our way through the temperate eucalypt forests of Dharug & Gundungurra land here in the Blue Mountains before leaving the Great Dividing Range for the Wheat & Sheep belt of the Central Tablelands. Our journey ends on Wiradjuri Land, North West of Cowra in the dry scleropyhyll forests of the Conimbla & Nangar National Parks, the start of the Western Woodland Way
Jayden Gunn is an adept wildlife photographer, ecologist, and environmental educator, with a deep passion for Australian birdlife. Through his lens, he captures Australia`s unique wildlife, using digital storytelling to connect people with nature in meaningful ways.
Links in profile to book in.
Book for the Forum here: https://bit.ly/43FzamP
Register your interest for the Community Tree Planting Day here: https://bit.ly/3HwYHa5
Watch an interview with Amanda here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77y2jrCzINo&t=52s
Read more about Glenbrook Public Schools work for the Glossy Black here: https://lowermtnslocalnews.com/glossy-black-cockatoos/
Tracie lives, writes and walks on the unceded lands of the Dharug, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri people. Born in Lithgow, she and her family have spent most of their lives living and working with the people and places of the Lithgow area. Her passions are nature and community, which she pursues through story, art, and volunteering in Lithgow and the Blue Mountains.
The story of Lithgow Environment Group is a saga spanning nearly two decades of their heroic struggle against fire, local habitat destruction, weak government legislation and in particular, irresponsible mining practices.
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