Eastern Banjo Frog ( Limnodynastes dumerili )

"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." - Mark Twain
(..... although it has been almost 5 years since my last post.)

Since making a pond for wildlife a few years back, I've recorded two frog species making use of it. They are the Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingi) and the Eastern Banjo Frog or Pobblebonk (Limnodynastes dumerili).

The Eastern Banjo Frog is found throughout south-eastern Australia. In mainland Tasmania we have the subspecies L.d. insularis while King Island has L.d. variegatus. While usually more active at night, this one was out and about by day. (hopefully not a sign of a sick frog)

Interestingly these frogs burrow into the soil in mid autumn and  don't emerge again until mid spring. While excavating in my backyard I have several times found them at a depth of about 50cm to 60cm in very rocky soil. From what I've read, their burrows are usually found within 100m of water. However I was finding these borrows long before I built the pond. As far I know there is no permanent water for at least half a kilometer from here.