La Nina coming

The La Nina weather conditions are coming...basically this means wetter/colder conditions then we have been experiencing this past year. The frogs will be on the move and we'll find out just how bad the infestation is. Governor Abercrombie has appointed Senator Russell Kokubun to head the Department of Agriculture which can only give us a better chance at raising the interest in eradicating this invasive spp.

A different female

These 5 are all mottled...



Here's a non-typical female coqui with "palomino" type patches on her. This area has a high percentage of the mottled type frogs that don't change skin color even with temperature changes.
The male and 2 other females mottled skin were much more visable until it started to heat up but as you can see the other 2 are still showing the pattern and never change. So....camoflage = better survival rate..= pass on the stronger skin pigment or?? let's get that grant and study it!

Large female

And tennis ball from the dog...


Caught this female tonight and measured her against a quarter then laid out on a ruler.
No eggs yet so she'll get even bigger in the next few weeks.

Interviews

I recently was interviewed by Sherry Bracken with Hawaii Public Radio and Dan Cook with KGMB Sunrise Morning Show and wanted to thank both of them. Sherry did a great job editing my ramblings into a 30 minute segment and Dan was a quick study on the issues(especially LIVE!). I was able to catch a male on the Naniloa hotel grounds and spotted several others but time was tight...it was perfect frog catching weather.
Thanks.

I am working with Lyle Wong of the DOA and a mainland company to get a workable formualtion of sodium bicarbonate for use against the coqui...let's hope this cooperation keeps up and things work out for the islands, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
I'm contacting agencies in PR in hopes of getting a regular shipment of frogs back to them so we have all our bases covered to first control,then eradicate,then help repopulate these interesting frogs back where they are loved and belong.

Making your frog ears

Here's a quick photo tutorial of sorts showing the parts needed to constuct some "frog ears".
1)The top photo has a wooden handle glued on to help reduce noise from your handling(try it and see if you need this mod).
2)Pictures 2/3/4 below it shows the unit with the label sanded off ready to glue the handle on and also "close up" with the foam windscreen taken off so you can cut/drill a hole in the t*pperware bowl and insert the unit. I used shoe goop as it seems to work well with the two types of plastic. *note:the tape is to keep water/chemicals out of the battery compartment.
3)Pictures 5/6 shows the unit as you recieve it,notice the label on the back that can be sanded to rough up the plastic for glueing a handle on, also the backside is sanded for glueing to the bowl.

*note:I've wasted a few bowls as the drilling/cutting can crack it...so go slow and cut with a piece of wood supporting the back.
That's it...
Technique's for using this in the field:
move from left to right first to get the general direction of the caller.
keep doing this until you need to turn down the volume(thumbwheel on unit).
then up/down and left/right to pinpoint the exact spot if you're planning on hand capturing it.
at the same time look at the surrounding area (5 foot circumference) for any females or immatures as they'll be hanging around the general area.
It may take a few times to get the hang of it, but I usually keep 2 with me because it sure saves time/frustration when locating the male.
bowl $2
glue $5
sonic ear $25-$45 plus shipping
triple A battery comes with unit and last a looooong time.

immature coqui with a dime

Here are 2 immature coqui's I caught tonight within a foot of each other,they would be the calling males in 6-7 months that annoy you. Most likely from the same batch of eggs they're pictured in a plastic mayonaise jar with a dime between them to show their size. These small ones and the females are what you really need to control as they move silently into your area unlike the male. So when you hear males in the distance think about slowly walking the areas you've already treated to check for any immatures like these and stray females, the better the flashlight the greater the chance of spotting them. I don't use a M*glight as they're bulbs aren't bright/white enough, the newer style 3-4 watt double/triple A battery models are worth the $30-$40 price tag.

County Council Meeting

Attended the CC meeting and met some new folks with new ideas, much needed. Dr. Davis brought in "ACS" or acidified calcium sulfate which has gotten great results from the people using it so keep an ear open for the progress of this as it moves thru. Also met the State Coqui Coordinator, Raymond, who is working with a minimal crew towards keeping the native forest coqui free. People are still in groups using the county sprayers but may lose them to the budget crunch happening everywhere, let's hope they don't give up. Brenda Ford is working towards raising the awareness of the coqui frog issues and keep the public informed.
As stated earlier in this blog California has made the coqui a "restricted" pest and you need a permit to transport it, this is potentially bad news as our shipments pass through their ports and coqui's can survive for months with no food or water. Several areas in CA have established populations now and like us don't have the funds to do a sufficient job in controlling it.
As a side note Waimanalo on Oahu has reported the coqui's getting worse and the map of infestations on that island is growing much as it did here, they need to use more than just citric acid or they'll end up just like the Big Island....
Let's get our States Senior Senators looking at this and perhaps the White House can give us some relief...please.

Females caught 2 nights in a row.

Just a reminder that we tend to focus on the males because of the loud calls but the females are also an important part of the issue. When you find the male take some time and look around the general area slowly for any females that maybe hanging around. I found all of these (7 total) very near calling males within 5 feet and some less than a foot, usually more than 1 were heading towards the male, 4 of the 7 had eggs. The first picture shows a female on the underside with eggs (lighter mass towards rear)the other is a male sitting on a quarter surrounded by females.