Last night Bellinger Landcare  ran a field evening for frogaholics … and I discovered that I am definitely not the only lunatic in the valley !!

After a facts, photos and frog calls briefing by local ecologist and frog enthusiast Brian Hawkins, we disinfected our boots (to avoid spreading the deadly Chytridiomycosis virus) and ventured up to Tamarind Drive in North Bellingen to track down some local frogs.  If you didn’t know what we were doing, you’d swear we were discovering gold nuggets the way we carried on when we spotted a frog.  I’m amazed that they didn’t all panic and hop away.  But they didn’t, and we recorded eight different frog calls, including the endangered Giant Barred Frog.

Not bad for a small stream and lagoon system right in the middle of town.  It seems that the Bellinger Valley is the second most frog diverse spot in Australia, with over 30 species and a relatively stable population. This all bodes well for the future of my frog pond…