Frog Symphony

Adventures like this one come few and far between, so I knew that I had to push my boundaries and overcome a few fears to return home a brave and proud woman. When MLC Scientific Coordinator, Andy Whitworth, asked for two volunteers to help him with a night-time amphibian and reptile survey, I saw my chance and grabbed it. Nocturnal animals freak me out, partially because they are often mean and crawly and largely because I have terrible night vision. Despite my deep-rooted fears of scary spiders and the dark, I strapped on my head torch and marched into the blackened forest with eager anticipation. This outing would involve walking the rainforest transects to monitor the biodiversity found at certain points. Amphibians are great bioindicators because of their permeable skin and dual habitats (aquatic and terrestrial). This also makes them incredibly vulnerable to environmental disturbances.

Spiders and froggies and snakes, oh my!

I am proud to say that I spotted the first snake, a black and white snail-eating snake wrapped around a tree branch. I also saw hundreds of communal spiders having a fun night out on a giant icky web (which I nearly walked into when I was looking the other way). Could you imagine if I did?! That would definitely scar me for life. Other interesting finds included wolf spiders, weevils, a pristimantis, toads, a green whip snake and a ground nesting bird. But what made this experience my favourite one of this trip so far is when Andy had us stray off path to a nearby swamp. Once reaching it, he somehow managed to convince me to turn off my torch and listen. Within a minute, the low croaking sounds of jungle swampland became a deafening symphony of frog-song lit by the stars. It was mind-blowingly beautiful and humbling to be in the midst of it all – a clumsy nervous volunteer standing completely disregarded in the centre of this alien habitat teeming with life. This was a moment I will cherish forever.