Another early morning roll-out, another bag of breakfast burritos and coffee to go, and we were on our way to Miller Canyon, just to the south of yesterday's adventure in Ramsey Canyon. Our only objective to day was to hike as far up the canyon as we could, and enjoy whatever came our way. Once again it was a sunny morning, with patches of clouds building up over the high peaks.

Close to the trailhead were a number of hummingbird feeders, maintained by a local family alongside their apple orchard. Steve added a couple more species to his list, including Anna's Hummingbird. There was also a spring-fed pond nearby, and aside from providing water for vegetable gardens and the orchard, it also provided a home for a colony of Ramsey Canyon Leopard Frogs. A small population was established here a number of years ago, and they appeared to be doing quite well. A small number of these frogs were out in the morning sunshine, and though none were very close I managed a few shots using the optical zoom on my camera.

We had seen no sign of these frogs yesterday in Ramsey Canyon, scanning the small concrete pond built for them there. I was excited to get a good look at one of the rarest frogs in North America, and I was surprised at how robust the adults were. They were much bigger than our pipiens and sphenocephala back home, more like Green Frogs in size.

Rana subaquavocalis is so named after the male's habit of calling under water. I don't recall seeing any explanation for this, but I expect that the noise made by a mountain stream would drown out the male's call. In this situation it might be easier to make themselves heard under the surface. I could appreciate the taoist parable in this - rather than shout down the stream, it is easier to whisper beneath it...