Frogs? chirping sound (Savannah: house, neighborhood, living in)

[NY Annie]

It sounds like birds, maybe but not quite - not exactly crickets either - very loud especially when walking the dog.

Someone mentioned frogs - but I thought they made a ribbit sound, deeper.

If it's frogs, please tell me about them - are they afraid of people? eat gardens, jump on kitties,.....

Yeah yeah, I'm a city girl living in the woods. Except for the 250+ acres near us that was just stripped bare! I miss those trees.

[BirdieBelle]

Probably frogs. They stay near the water. Is there a creek or marshy area nearby?

If you have a pool, they could make their way toward your pool area, but not if there are lots of more tempting natural waterways close by. They won't hurt you, and many folks find the sound calming and pleasant.

What is up with the 250 acres? That's a little concerning. Do you know what's going in? A neighborhood? Factory? Did you check nearby zoning before you bought there?

[hiknapster]

This might help.

Identify by Sound

I haven't lived up north in going on 17 years and I love the Southern nighttime sounds. I can't imagine going to sleep without them. Last night was the first I had heard them since last fall.

[Memphis1979]

I'm thinking its a bit early for Frogs, even for SW Tennessee. Maybe young crickets, they do sound differently then the crickets of summer. Could still be frogs though, but I wouldn't expect to hear tree frogs or bull frogs till probably April at the earlierst.

[2mares]

I heard frogs the other night. Could be spring peepers but it does seem a bit early for those. I thought the first of January was early for daffodils to bloom too though.

NY Annie. Frogs are generally wary of people, they eat bugs and its usually kittens that jump on frogs. The worst thing is to step on them barefoot.

[Reactionary]

hiknapster - thank you so much for the frog sounds link.

[NY Annie]

Definitely Bird-Voiced Tree Frogs. Thanks, Hik I've been hearing them for at least 2 weeks, maybe longer - sometime before "little brown dog" came to stay with us and after "big brown dog" left. We no longer use a calendar, but are keeping track of time by foster dogs.

The 250 acres - well, it seems that the parcel is owned by the paper manufacturer in Savannah. They stripped all but about 15 trees from the land. I'm sure they'll get to the last few trees as soon as the downpour ends. It'll be nice to have the peace of the country back again and not have to hear the engines/saws/trucks and have to dodge the log trucks on our narrow street. The trees were scrub pines, maybe a few hardwoods in there.

Yes, we checked zoning, we're in farm/ag area and I haven't seen anything to indicate a permit for building. I stopped to ask the neighbor on the other side of the property and he had no idea what's going on with it.

Across the street is another couple hundred acres and when it rains, it's a bog - which is good because it is probably why it's still all trees and not being farmed. - then again, I haven't checked who owns it and there's a lot of scrub pine - so maybe in the future..... And that's where the chirping sound is coming from.

2mares, don't the frogs leap out of the way of bare feet?

Slowly, very slowly, we are becoming acclimated to life in the country. Our friends in town are still waiting for me/us to run screaming. Maybe with the return of the wasps and mud dawbers which are already out!

I guess we've actually been officially welcomed here. I am 63 and got my license at 17. In all my years of driving from Maine to Florida, DC to San Francisco and most of the country in between, I only had 2 moving violations, neither in the last 30 years. I was presented with my 3rd just 2 weeks ago. It was absolutely a speed trap and I missed the change. Funny thing is, my husband noted the cop speeding up behind us and I remarked about him heading off to some emergency somewhere. Yah, not. It was me! I was shocked. He didn't even ask why I was speeding - sheesh, I missed the sign because I was checking out the town! No more scenic drives for us.

[foxywench]

given the time of year its more likley to be a large number of spring peepers (when they all start calling at once it sounds like the bird-voiced) ive been hearing them here for the past 2 1/2 weeks, and ESPECIALLY with all the rain weve been having.)

"Habitat: Found in almost any type of woodland or aquatic habitat. Choruses are most likely to occur where trees or shrubs are standing in or near water. These breeding areas are usually flooded edges of fields."

"We have heard them call from January through November, with a peak during March and April"

[NY Annie]

So come on ovefr after you put the critters to bed and tell me if they are peepers - btw, what are peepers?

[2mares]

2mares, don't the frogs leap out of the way of bare feet?

Not toads. We use to get them in moms basement. I didnt know I could jump 4 feet straight up from a standind position. I was young then. Id probably break a hip now. I get a lot of them near the house in the rainy season. One would think I would learn not to go about barefoot. If I step on one now, I just tense up then say Lord thank you for letting that NOT be a snake.
I love the sound of spring peepers. The strangest frog I've heard is the barking tree frog (not to be confused with the allusive barking spider my dad told me about). I dont think their range covers your area. I know they do occur in Rhea County.