Customer Reviews

The Calls of Frogs and Toads

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The real value in this compact field guide is not in the very clear photos and descriptions, but is in the remarkably clear and useful recordings of amphibian calls. Since frogs and toads are active at night, they are generally identified by their calls - and this is the most useful guide I have obtained. Great addition to any naturalist's field guide collection!

...which is why the previous reviewer did not find the Pacific Treefrog...

Two thumbs up! The guidebook pictures are clear, the descriptions are detailed and include information on where each species can be found (what region of the US and what type of habitat). Each track on the CD includes an introduction with both the common and Latin name of the species. Now I know exactly who I've been hearing outside. After the individual sounds tracks, the author also shares some "combo" tracks with more than one species and describes the conditions and exactly what is going on with the frogs/toads in question. I thought this was really helpful because when encountered in the wild you typically don't find a single animal on its own. It was also entertaining, as when he shared the "frog with a stutter", turf wars and mixed species frog calls. My whole family enjoyed this CD and it was a great addition to our homeschool biology studies.

Kudos to Lang Elliott for gathering this amazing variety of frog calls. The identification of each call is a great help. I would recommend that every "frog-lover" have this information in their library.

Being an amateur nature recordist myself, I think the recordings on the CD are of the highest quality and done very professional. The book pictures are good. The voice descriptions are to the point, with a general time table for when each species can be heard.

Since moving to the country and acquiring a pond, a whole new world of amphibian sounds has added enjoyment to everyday living for our family. This CD has a put a face, name, and description to each of these fascinating calls and made identifying them fun and interesting.

Now I know what some of those strange sounds are out there and WHO's making them! I enjoy listen to this in my car as I'm stuck in traffic. This CD and the book are both fun - young and old will enjoy them. My extremely active son and my more laid back mother both have enjoyed these. It's a winner!

I also purchased the Birds CD/Book and the Insects CD/Book. These, too, are an excellent purchase. The Insects CD actually put my son to SLEEP in the car!

This is quite a guide. In a short amount of time I have been able to accurately identify different species using both their scientific and regular names. Some of the frogs I can identify now I didn't even know were frogs. The book while serving its purpose adequately is lacking in comprehension. It provides a photo for each frog as well as some very basic information. I would have liked to have seen various photos of both male and females as well as their color changes and more information about each species but for the price, this is really quite a jewel. I would recommend for quick memorization of the calls to put Elliot's full cd on your Ipod and hit shuffle. Happy frogging!

For a teenie little book and CD this has a bunch of info and is just what I wanted and needed to identify the frogs and toads I was hearing at night. Nice photos and descriptions.

The sound is great, photos are fine, and the text is clearly written. I'm not a biologist, just curious about the sounds in the woods around my garden in the evening. This is helpful (and only mildly embarrassing to be caught listening to....) It would have been helpful if the text noted whether the calls were heard during the day or night. That is mentioned for some animals but not others. Otherwise, no complaints.