Joann Merritt's Essays

Nocturnal Field Trips Of Summer
August, 2002

One doesn’t have to travel to distant Salt Lake City to hear an outstanding Tabernacle Boys Choir, just shorten that trip and name by driving about 10 miles south of Midland to Salt Lake after any heavy rain from springtime to the fall of the year.

After dark the formerly dry lake beds, playas and pools of water will come to life and you will hear male choruses (The Salt Lake Boy’s Choir?) of Texas Toads accompanied by Western Spadefoot Toads with the occasional soprano voice of the very small Great Plains Narrow-mouthed Toad/Frog. (Older books call him a toad and newer ones a frog.) Don’t delay your night trip as these toads must find a mate and complete their life cycle of eggs-tadpoles-adults as quickly as possible before the water dries up. As adults they are able to burrow under the soil and wait for the next rain.

To my ears the spade foot’s call is similar to a duck’s quack. When I asked Allen if he was sure there were no Mallards in Salt Lake Sybil replied “If there are, they have a frog in their throat”. Hearing the toads sing was a new experience for Sybil and the first one she heard near her feed barn sounded to her like a wounded young bobcat. She has now come to better appreciate their vocalizations.

Don McSparran challenged me to pick a trifecta after I called the glossy purplish bronze on a male Mourning Dove’s neck and a hummingbird’s gorget a quiniela (1993 Phalarope). Well, Don, it took me 9 years but I will pick Star Party, Toads Singing and Night Birds Calling as a trifecta - Wait! I can’t pick first, second and third place because they are all perfect(a)!