Why Are We Hearing Spring Peepers in the Fall Here in Maine?

I'm sort of a reverse night owl.

I got to bed pretty dang early, and wake up when it's dark out. Even in summertime. More often than not, I'm making my way out the front door in the wee hours of the morning to take out the dog. Then I head in and start the coffee, and begin getting into my day.

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Lately, I've been hearing a sound in these wee hours that I normally only hear at night in the Spring. I actually thought I was going a little crazy. I swore I was hearing the distinct call of the Spring Peeper, otherwise known as Pseudacris crucifer. You know the sound very well, likely. You're just used to hearing it in like, April.

Is it actually peepers I'm hearing?

It sure is! I assumed we never heard from them again, after spring. And that's kind of true, because only a small percentage of peepers peep in the fall. Not only that, although it basically sounds the same to our ears, it's apparently a lot more harsh in tone to other peepers, this time of year.

These little tree frogs normally make their annual racket in the spring for the most obvious of reasons... Mating! They're yelling out into the darkness all through the spring trying to get females attention and make more little tree frogs. It's dance among many species in spring. Yell aimlessly into the night, hoping someone thinks you're cute.

So why are we hearing them in the fall?

Obviously, as they're about to head into their seasonal slumber, they're not currently trying to get busy. However, peepers are the first species of frog to mate in spring, so they really need to hit the ground running when the snow thaws. So they're basically prepping all their equipment/techniques for spring.

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All this racket, is because over the summer, all their sex organs etc. have matured, and they're pretty much ready to mate, as soon as they fall asleep for winter. That way, when spring does hit, they're good to go. So they're basically test driving their libido. Can't blame them there... So now, if you do hear the fall/spring peepers, you know why.