Australia: Pobblebonk Dam

Named after their distinctive banjo-like calls, Eastern Banjo Frogs (Limnodynastes dumerilii) [also known as Pobblebonks] are a type of burrowing frog found in south-eastern Australia. Males of the species produce a single ‘bonk’ note, with other individuals often calling in response. After periods of rain banjo frogs are most active and vocal, and in this recording dozens of individuals can be heard creating a unique soundscape at a small dam surrounded by woodland in north-east Victoria.

The album opens with a light breeze blowing through the box-ironbark woodland and birdsong filling the air. Honeyeaters are abundant, with Red Wattlebird, Noisy Friarbird, Fuscous Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater and Yellow-tufted Honeyeater competing for nectar from the flowering eucalypts. Restless Flycatchers call while hovering over the reeds at the edge of the wetland and Grey Fantails and Yellow Thornbills call from the shrubby mid-storey. Around 11:40 other frog species can be heard, including Peron’s Treefrog, Common Eastern Froglet & Eastern Sign-bearing Froglet.

From around 13:35 a Grey Shrikethrush sings from a tree adjacent to the wetland. A Willie Wagtail also starts singing at 15:53.

The birdsong is softer from around 17:30, as the low-pitched cooing of a Common Bronzewing adds a steady rhythm to the soundscape. Weebills and Mistletoebirds call from the treetops, and an Olive-backed Oriole can be heard in the distance.

At around 28:00 a family of Australian Magpies visit the dam, and their carolling calls and song are one of the most unmistakable sounds of the Australian bush.

From around 34:20, as the sun drops to the horizon, a light breeze ebbs and flows through the forest until the end of the recording.