Rainy-season frog chorus at Taï
Reed frogs (Hyperolius), Afrixalus, Leptopelis tree frogs, Phrynobatrachus puddle frogs, Cardioglossa — one of the best-studied frog communities in West Africa. Parc national de Taï and the forest belt, Côte d'Ivoire.
Best time: 1 May – 30 Jun and 1 Oct – 10 Nov (May to June, October to November). Where: Taï village – forest-edge ponds and the road to the park, Djouroutou – swamp forest near the ecolodge (Côte d'Ivoire). Time of day: From dusk until about 01:00, loudest in the first two hours of dark on a rain night.
- You can go on your own
- Free
- No binoculars needed
- Sound 5/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
- Peak 1: 1 May – 30 Jun — May–June: first heavy rains of the main wet season fill the forest ponds
- Peak 2: 1 Oct – 10 Nov — October to early November: second, shorter chorus on the short wet season (Sept–Oct)
Active from 15 Apr to 30 Nov (April to November) in a typical year.
Time of day
From dusk until about 01:00, loudest in the first two hours of dark on a rain night
- Night chorus: last light → 01:00
What will you hear?
Dense stacked choruses of Hyperolius and Afrixalus over the pools, the hammering of Leptopelis and the metallic ticking of puddle frogs from the leaf litter, with katydids above them.
Binoculars?
No binoculars needed. Frogs at the pool edge; a torch finds them, nothing else.
Where to go
- Taï village – forest-edge ponds and the road to the park — Temporary ponds along the tracks are the easy option outside park hours. Map
- Djouroutou – swamp forest near the ecolodge — Guided night walks can be arranged with the ecolodge. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Ponds along the public tracks and at the village edges are open to anyone after dark; entering the park at night needs an OIPR guide. Take a local companion.
Cost: Free from village tracks; guided night walks from the Djouroutou ecolodge carry a fee, check current prices.
Field-recording notes
Night entry into the park needs a guide and OIPR authorisation; the edge ponds and village tracks are the practical alternative. This is the wettest time of year — rain covers, dry bags and a way to dry gear each day are essential. Choruses are loud enough that gain is not the issue; separation is, so a parabolic or a close pair at one pool beats a wide rig on a swamp.
Sources
Similar spectacles
Natterjack toad chorusThe loudest amphibian in Britain — a rolling, ratcheting chorus audible up to 2 km away across dunes.
Natterjack toad chorus on the Kerry dunesA loud, ratcheting 'rrrrRup, rrrrRup' chorus from dozens of males in shallow dune pools — the loudest amphibian in these islands — with the Atlantic surf behind the dunes and snipe overhead.
Tree frog choruses of Zeeuws-VlaanderenA rattling, surprisingly loud 'kè-kè-kè-kè' chorus from hundreds of tree frogs around the old fortress moats and pools — audible across the polder — with marsh frogs and nightingales behind; the ramparts of Retranchement alone hold a few hundred.
Fire-bellied toads, natterjacks and blue moor frogsFire-bellied toad's melancholy 'uh...uh' by the hundred over shallow pasture ponds, moor frog's bubbling 'waug-waug' underwater chorus, natterjack's ratcheting trill carrying 2 km across dune slacks, tree frogs at full volume, bittern and crane in the background.
Marsh frog & tree frog chorusesWall-to-wall marsh frog laughter from the Camargue ditches, ratcheting tree frogs from Brenne ponds, and natterjacks rolling across the Landes dune slacks.
Frog nights in the Danube floodplain forestTree frog volleys and fire-bellied toads' soft hooting from the oxbows (Altarme), marsh frog laughter, night herons croaking overhead, nightingale and beaver tail-slaps; Danube barges as a slow low bed.
More: all spectacles in Côte d'Ivoire · frog and toad choruses · May · June · October · Côte d'Ivoire in November