Andrew Trevor-Jones

I grew up on Sydney's lower north shore in the 1960s. In our backyard we had ponds with Striped Marsh Frogs and a bog near our clothesline that had Red-crowned Toadlets. It is likely I heard these frogs calling before I could talk. Whenever it rained I enjoyed Common Eastern Froglets calling from every puddle of water. We used to spend most school holidays at our property just outside Lithgow where I'd hear Eastern Banjo Frogs calling from the creek and uncover Spotted March Frogs under rocks and discarded wooden railway sleepers.

In my preteens and teens I used to spend time in a bamboo patch in the bush down the street from our house catching Green Stream Frogs in the stream that ran through the bamboo patch. The dark shade of the patch meant that these "green" frogs were mostly brown but would lighten up in a light container.

In my early 20s, while courting my wife who lived at Windsor, I was introduced to Green Tree Frogs, Peron's Tree Frogs, and Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs that lived in her yard as well as Bleating Tree Frogs that would call en masse whenever it rained - and they were deafening.

Despite perusing different academic (Marine Biology) and career (IT) paths, I kept my fascination with frogs. I volunteered in the Herpetology section of the Australian Museum in 1984 helping sort frogs in the collection. I regularly drove to Ourimbah on the NSW Central Coast on wet evenings to look for frogs and was introduced to Green-thighed Frogs and Eastern Stony Creek Frogs.

I became an avid photographer and a large number of my slides were of frogs. I still enjoy photographing frogs.

I now live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and in the warmer months we have Peron's Tree Frogs and Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs calling from our above ground pool which I converted to a pond, as well as Striped Marsh Frogs calling from any water body they can find. I can also hear Common Eastern Froglets, Tyler's Tree Frogs, and Whistling Tree Frogs calling from the neighbouring properties.

I joined the FrogID team as a validator in October 2018 and love listening to all the frog calls we get from all around Australia.

If I had to pick a favourite frog it would be Peron's Tree Frog; Peron's Tree Frog and Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog. My two favourite frogs are Peron's Tree Frog, Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog and Red-Crowned Toadlets. Amongst my favourite frogs are Peron's Tree Frogs, Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs, Red-crowned Toadlets, Green Stream Frogs, Bleating Tree Frogs...