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Image by: Mary Anne Dingus, courtesy Sibley Nature Center 

Spadefoot Desert Chorale

Series: Nature Notes
From: Marfa Public Radio
Length: 00:04:30

Summer storms send many desert frogs and toads into a raucous reproductive frenzy. What role do their choruses play in their hasty courtship? Read the full description.

Spadefoot-photo-by-dingus-s_small The concert starts with a mighty summer storm. Thunder stirs the singers from their subterranean slumber. They convene at an impromptu stage—maybe a rain-filled arroyo, maybe a waterlogged ditch. And just as the curtain of evening falls, the chorus begins. Who are these vocalists? And what’s the occasion for their performance?

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Piece Description

The concert starts with a mighty summer storm. Thunder stirs the singers from their subterranean slumber. They convene at an impromptu stage—maybe a rain-filled arroyo, maybe a waterlogged ditch. And just as the curtain of evening falls, the chorus begins. Who are these vocalists? And what’s the occasion for their performance?

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Big Sky (Reprise) Dan Gibson, Bill Brennan, Rob Piltch Country Retreat. Solitudes 2000 00:00
The Frogs and Toads of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification,Behavior, and Calls Lang Elliott, Carl Gerhardt, and Carlos Davidson The Frogs and Toads of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification,Behavior, and Calls. Mariner Books 2009 00:00

Additional Credits

Host Dallas Baxter. Written by Megan Wilde. Frog sounds courtesy of Lang Elliott, Carlos Davidson and Carl Gerhardt, from their CD and book, The Frogs and Toads of North America.

Related Website

http://www.marfapublicradio.org/nature-notes/spadefoot-desert-chorale/