Spring frog & toad choruses of the Andalusian marshes
Perez's frog (Pelophylax perezi), Mediterranean tree frog (Hyla meridionalis), natterjack, Iberian spadefoot, western spadefoot, parsley frog. Doñana buffer, Odiel, Cádiz lagoons, Spain.
Best time: 15 Mar – 10 May (March to May). Where: El Rocío – Madre de las Marismas boardwalk, Dehesa de Abajo, La Puebla del Río, Marismas del Odiel (Huelva) (Spain). Time of day: Choruses start at dusk, reach full volume 1–2 h after dark and run to about 02:00 on mild nights.
- 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: 15 Mar – 10 May. Mid March to early May, warm humid nights after rain
Active from 15 Feb to 15 Jun (February to June) in a typical year.
Time of day
Choruses start at dusk, reach full volume 1–2 h after dark and run to about 02:00 on mild nights; spadefoots call underwater in the same window.
- Night chorus: 30 min after sunset → 02:00
What will you hear?
Massive Perez's frog choruses from the temporary lagoons, tree frog 'crra-crra' from the marsh edge, natterjack ratchets across the dune slacks, spadefoots' hen-like clucking from underwater, plus stone-curlews, red-necked nightjars and scops owls.
Binoculars?
No binoculars needed. Chorus from the boardwalk after dark; a red torch finds frogs, nothing else needed.
Where to go
- El Rocío – Madre de las Marismas boardwalk — Village-edge marsh, easy night access on foot; horses and dogs. Map
- Dehesa de Abajo, La Puebla del Río — Lagoon and rice-field ditches; car park closes but the road verge is open. Map
- Marismas del Odiel (Huelva) — Saltmarsh and freshwater pools; industrial hum from the Huelva petrochemical pole to the east. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
El Rocío: walk the Madre de las Marismas boardwalk from the village after dark — free. Dehesa de Abajo: the car park closes but the road verge by the lagoon is open. Odiel: the public road across the marshes from Huelva; the visitor centre has daytime hours.
Cost: Free.
Field-recording notes
Rainfall drives everything — after a wet February the temporary lagoons erupt; in drought years there is little. Spadefoots call from underwater: a hydrophone in a shallow pool is the way. All species are protected — no capture. Mosquitoes arrive with the water.
Sources
Similar spectacles
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More: all spectacles in Spain · frog and toad choruses · Spain in March · Spain in April · Spain in May