Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Caught One!

The coqui frog is the bane of most Hawai'i residents existence. It is an invasive species that makes a loud chirping noise and seems to breed faster than rabbits. It has no natural predators in Hawai'i. We don't have many of them around our house and the ocean blocks out the sound of those that are around us. However, I know a few people who love the sound of them and some who are driven nuts by the noises they make.

Meanwhile, I have never been very good at catching them. And... then last week when I was in the garden I found a BIG one and he made his way into a zip lock bag in my freezer. Today I pretty much hit the coqui jackpot, I found an adult male sitting on a nest of eggs. Usually the eggs need to be in water and these may have been laid in water, but they were just in the bottom of a pot that had an orchid in it. I was changing out the pot and discovered this little nest.


Bad Boy!
This video/audio clip was taken down by the river in Hilo where the coquis are quite dense. It gives you a good idea though of what they can be like.

7 comments:

Noel Morata said...

yes they do like to hide in places that we don't check regularly...who said they only stay in trees during the daytime.

Andrew Cooper said...

Glad these guys have never thrived around Waimea and Waikoloa. I hope you did the ziplock/freezer treatment for this one as well.

Cloudia said...

Puerto Rico loves them...


Aloha, Big Isle Friend!


Comfort Spiral

pedalpower said...

That sound brings back memories! I've a friend whose cat loves to hunt them down.

Anonymous said...

The sound brings back happy memories for me Devany. I realize I am in the minority on this one but they sound like home to me.

Looking forward to the smoked coqui taco post!

Devany said...

Andrew... you had better hope they stay away.

Aloha Cloudia~ I wish there was a way to send them back. Actually a few of them do not bother me at all, but I have been to some places where they are REALLY loud!

Pedalpower... I want one of those cats!

Blake, yes, it is a familiar sound and one that can be somewhat charming at a distance. And soon it will be home to you and Lynn.

Andrew Cooper said...

Every now and then you hear one, but they do not last long. My personal theory is that the turkeys get them.