09.04.2020 Frog Friday…the old and the new

While I was processing today’s recent image I was reminded of my first frog post (actually my first blog post as well) back some years ago.  I have shared it in comments a few times but thought to pair it with my most recent shot from August 24th.

Back in 2008 I spent a lot of time along the Amherst portion of the Norwottuck Rail Trail that passes through Poor Farm Swamp, a location I’ve mentioned here often. At that time I used my 40D, which is now almost exclusively my yard insect camera, with my old 300 f/4 and 1.4x teleconverter for wildlife. I saw this guy sitting on a log calling for a girl friend and sat there with him and the motor drive clicking away to capture an enlarged vocal sac while he was croaking. I was successful a few times but this was and still is my favorite.

Kind of a hard act to follow, but I like my most recent from Moosehorn Pond almost as well.  A little more personality, I think. I haven’t been as successful capturing croaks lately but do enjoy the portraits.

Comparing the two, you can definitely see a subtle detail/sharpness difference between the 40D with 300 and the 5D Mark IV and the 100-400.  And, of course, blown up large the difference wouldn’t be as subtle.

The rust coloring on the rock he is perched upon is most likely the result of Leptothrix, a bacteria in the water that interacts with iron and oxygen.

As the season winds down Frog Fridays may become less common but autumn is a good time for Fog Fridays.