Massachusetts Monitoring Protocols: Sampling Periods and Conditions

Sampling Periods

Each route is to be sampled four times in the spring and early summer, once within each of the specified sampling windows listed below. The route should be run on nights when:

Temperatures are expected to remain above a given threshold for each window (see below);
There is little or no wind (< 3 on the Beaufort Scale) ; and
There is no rain significant enough to affect your ability to detect calling frogs at a distance.

If you do not find a night with appropriate sampling conditions within a sampling window choose the next appropriate night after the window.

Physiographic Region	Window	Sampling Dates	Temperature Threshold	Target Species
Glaciated Coastal Plain	1	Floating	42 F	Wood frog, spring peeper, American toad
	2	April 24 to May 10	50 F	Spring peeper, American toad, pickerel and leopard frogs
	3	May 25 to June 9	50 F	Pickerel, leopard & green frogs, gray treefrog, Fowler’s toad, Eastern spadefoot
	4	June 24 to July 9	55 F	Green frog, bullfrog, gray treefrog, Fowler’s toad, Eastern spadefoot
Southern New England	1	Floating	42 F	Wood frog, spring peeper, American toad
	2	April 24 to May 10	50 F	Spring peeper, American toad, pickerel and leopard frogs
	3	May 25 to June 9	50 F	Pickerel, leopard & green frogs, gray treefrog, Fowler’s toad, Eastern spadefoot
	4	June 24 to July 9	55 F	Green frog, bullfrog, gray treefrog, Fowler’s toad, Eastern spadefoot
Central New England	1	Floating	42 F	Wood frog, spring peeper, American toad
	2	May 1 to May 17	50 F	Spring peeper, American toad, pickerel and leopard frogs
	3	June 1 to June 15	50 F	Pickerel, leopard & green frogs, gray treefrog, Fowler’s toad, Eastern spadefoot
	4	July 1 to July 15	55 F	Green frog, bullfrog, gray treefrog, Fowler’s toad, Eastern spadefoot
North Berkshire	1	Floating	42 F	Wood frog, spring peeper, American toad
	2	May 12 to May 25	50 F	Spring peeper, American toad, pickerel and leopard frogs
	3	June 9 to June 23	50 F	Pickerel, leopard & green frogs, gray treefrog
	4	July 8 to July 22	55 F	Green frog, bullfrog, gray treefrog

The first window – a “floating window” – is a two-week period commencing after the first warm rainy night of spring (March or early April). This is usually the “big” or “first” night of amphibian movement we have become accustomed to waiting for every year. For those years that lack a clearly defined “big night,” begin this sampling window when you first detect strong choruses of wood frogs in the general area.

Here is a list of the Massachusetts NAAMP Routes and the physiographic regions in which they occur.

Massachusetts Calling Amphibian Routes

Route Name	Route Number	Physiographic Region
Arlington	470603	Southern New England-MA
Auburn	470403	Southern New England-MA
Boston	470503	Southern New England-MA
Brockton	470103	Southern New England-MA
Centerville	470106	Glaciated Coastal Plain
Chelmsford	470303	Southern New England-MA
Colrain	470602	North Berkshire
Ct River	470502	Southern New England-MA
Dunstable	470803	Southern New England-MA
Essex	470104	Southern New England-MA
Hardwick	470802	Southern New England-MA
Hinsdale	470401	North Berkshire
Ipswich	470204	Southern New England-MA
King Corner	470402	North Berkshire
Quabbin	470102	Southern New England-MA
Rowley	470604	Southern New England-MA
Royalston	470702	Central New England-MA
Russell	470202	Central New England-MA
S. Athol	470302	Southern New England-MA
SE Mass	470506	Glaciated Coastal Plain
Tyngsboro	470703	Southern New England-MA
Vineyard Haven	470206	Glaciated Coastal Plain
W. Barnstable	470406	Glaciated Coastal Plain
Williamsville	470201	Central New England-MA
Worcester	470203	Southern New England-MA

Massachusetts North American Amphibian Program

Massachusetts Monitoring Protocols: Sampling Periods and Conditions

Sampling Periods

Massachusetts Calling Amphibian Routes