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For the second time in a year in Puna, the coqui frogs went totally quiet. The first time was after that last bigger quake, for about 5 minutes, and last night, all night from about 6:45pm. There is a very unusual wind pattern, with the trade winds dying down and yesterday the main direction was from the NW, today it will be from the N. This has brought the night time temps in Puna to below 70 degrees. It appears the coqui frogs aren't "in the mood" around 65 degrees. Very interesting. It's not the frogs, it's the "KOHHH!!!-KHEEE!!!".[xx(]
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Dogs don't also like to bark much when it's cold. I don't think it's the entire story. Since it didn't rain and the wind has pretty much dried everything out, coqui's are conserving their energy and moisture levels by not chirping ...
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They're quiet again tonight, at least around here. They seem to shut up if the temperature is in the lower 60s and below, as do I. It's cold this evening, 62 degrees according to the thermometer on my lanai. Weird thing is that I have no problem with freezing temperatures at the summit of Mauna Kea but if it gets below 65 degrees at sea level I'm looking for a hot water bottle and a blanket.
Tom
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My cat was excited about the quiet night with a half moon and no rain! He was out stalking the rats and mice. [
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He who hoots with owls at night cannot soar with the eagles in the morning.
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57 degrees on our lanai this morning @ 7am, lower HPP.
The frogs were knitting woolen blankets all night.
-- rainshadow
-- rainshadow
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlp
Dogs don't also like to bark much when it's cold. I don't think it's the entire story. Since it didn't rain and the wind has pretty much dried everything out, coqui's are conserving their energy and moisture levels by not chirping ...
That is called a WAT (Wild Ass Tangent). Dogs bark for all numbers of reasons, they are happy, they are sad, they are afraid, so on and so on. Also, Huskys tend to bark a lot in sub-zero temperature. Coqui frogs only croak for one thing (the main croak) and that is mating. The female coqui does not croak. She localizes to the loudest, and most resonant, croak, usually the one higher up. There are already studies that have been done that show the Hawaii coqui is getting much larger due to this natural selection plus lack of predators. In Puerto Rico, there are all kinds of snakes, birds, and large carnivorous insects that love to eat coqui. It has been three nights of 64 degrees at the shore altitude, and each night, the coqui have gone silent. Last night, it was 71 at 6pm and they tend to crescendo starting around 6:30. A few started up but then the temperature dropped to 64 fairly rapidly, before 8pm and it was silent. The lower temperature is going to be 64 for the next 3 days.
"It was a majority decision to descend into the Dark Ages. Don't worry, be happy, bang on da drum all day!"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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Both temperature and dryness are key factors. Been through enough winters here to know that the cold shuts 'em up. But we also went through a drought a couple years back, and even though it was hot, I remember some very quiet nights.
I don't need a scientific study to tell me that the coquis are getting bigger. When I moved here almost 7 years ago they were the size of my thumbnail. Based on my very unscientific estimation, they're now double, maybe even triple their original size.
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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yep! They are getting bigger. I kinda wonder if they are getting louder when they increase in size? When ever I see one I can't believe how big they are now. I kinda wonder if they will be the size of the toad? They are already half it's size! Damn! Evolution is QUICK! I was hoping something would step in and start eating them but it doesn't look like that is happening any time soon. The problem is whatever is gonna be eating them is going to have to be nocturnal like maybe we could import in a bat that likes them.
There are few champs that are still chirping tho. Anyone notice that some frogs have the low Co Chirp then followed by 3-5 high pitch qui chirps? I still think the best way to get rid of these frogs would have been to bread 50 million (sterile) male ones and drop them out of airplanes all over puna. Do that a few times a month and eventually it would have cut down the population ... Do it again and again till the only ones left alive are the sterile ones.
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I'm going to vote for dryness as the main silencer... this evening came home at 10 & it was still coqui quieted, although there was no wind & the temps were up from the last few nights... then a light drizzle started about 1/2 hour ago & a few chirpers started. We just got a little more rain & a chirp chorus....
