Amphibian Call Counts Christine Bishop Amphibian Call Counts were organized in 1991 to monitor amphibian population trends. Two survey programs, Road Call Counts and Backyard Surveys, are used to estimate the abundance of frogs and toads based on their distinctive calls. Road Call Counts cover designated routes by car three evenings per Spring during which frogs and toads are surveyed at 10 three-minute stops, placed every 0.8 km. Backyard Surveys take place in or near backyards for three minutes every night from April to August. The FBMP results complement those of the Breeding Bird Survey, which covers roadside habitat.
Sites consist of one to five stations in small to large woodlands.
Volunteers perform 10 minute point counts at each station twice in June, at which time all birds are identified by song or sight. The ONRS is a collection of record cards detailing one or more visits to an active bird's nest, and includes all available contemporary and historical records. This database provides information on breeding distribution, nesting habitats, nest locations, nest materials, clutch size, brood parasitism, incubation period, nest success or failure, and number of broods. Volunteers survey for marsh birds, calling frogs and toads, or both birds and amphibians. One to eight survey stations comprise a route, which is visited in the evening two or three times between April and July.