Frog Survey, Booderi National Park, Jervis Bay (September 1-3)

"The Effects of Fire and Climate Change on Frog Species Distribution"

What can be summed up as one INTENSE field experience, into untouched and beautifully varied ecosystems. From swamps, to creeks, to beaches, to marshlands, to rainforests, and scary/strangely mystical nighttime excursions into the world of nocturnal wildlife.

a truly one of a kind experience into what was quantitative research at its f*cking finest (well at least for a neophyte like me) consisting of water and climate sampling, "tadpoling", call recording, vegetation analysis, rugged roads, and delicious ratatouille. Truly, a life-altering 3 days of renewed awareness and passion for conservation and sustainability.

Thank you to Martin Westgate for having me on this PhD field trip. Frog pictures c/o NSW National Park Services.


Martin, Maddie, and Me


Tadpoling (identifying stages of development and perhaps the effect of pH levels)


one of the 200+ call recorders (for nocturnal mate calling sessions)


site 126a


beachfront (white sands and utter seclusion)


site 131b


in the rainforest with markedly special flora and fauna


Governor's cliff


(a pair of endangered Jervis Bay Bristle Birds, i think)


foursome


abandoned limestone lighthouse


spot the penguins standing around


the Holden Rodeo has proven itself quite invincible. 1 near fatal kangaroo incident, 5 fallen tree trunks, 4-feet tall reeds, muddy slopes, and we still made it alive somehow. now there's a good pick-up.


sun and marker: a matter of life and death, really.


macro-view of a wild coastal species of flower


Crinia signifera (Common Eastern Froglet, the most rampant of all species in Jervis bay, notable for its loud and low croak call, which tended to overpower other calls, which was annoying to us trying to make out calls of more endangered frog species)


Paracrinia haswelli (Haswell's Tree Frog)


Litoria aurea


Litoria jervisiensis (Jervis Bay Tree Frog, endemic to Jervis Bay)


Lymnodynastes dumerili (Banjo Frog, which really did sound like a banjo looking for a mate)

I firmly believe the value of ecological surveys should be recognised more by countries like the Philippines, where dynamic yet highly vulnerable ecosystems are at risk of not only disappearing unrecorded, but of disappearing totally unknown to Filipinos who should first and foremost be celebrating their responsibility over what is a wealth of diverse Filipino landscapes and wildlife.

The moral of this picture set: Conservation. The rate of human-induced destruction on Earth is so unprecedented, that defenseless ecosystems and creatures are barely coping and slowly disappearing without a trace. And all it takes to start turning things around is by being aware, and start realising that a world with just human beings is a crap world.