Fracking Trucks versus Scaphiopus couchii by sandboa published on 2013-06-26T04:28:15Z This is a chorus of Couch's Spadefoot Toads trying to attract mates to a flooded area along a formerly very quiet road in Dimmitt County, Texas. These toads have gathered in large numbers to try and breed after 10 inches of rain fell in the previous 24 hours on this drought parched land. It is very likely the first real breeding opportunity this species has had in this area in several years. I say "formerly very quiet road" because unfortunately, the oil fracking boom has come to this area of Texas. Four or five years ago, this road probably saw no more than 50 cars per day. There would have been little or no commercial truck traffic on this road. With the fracking boom comes oil trucks.....lots of them. I recorded here for exactly 23 minutes and 11 oil trucks flew by at high speed. That is a fairly typical frequency. This means that there would be approximately a truck every 2 minutes. Some might wonder if I just hit a busy time of day for these commercial trucks? Actually, no. It was 1:45 am on a Sunday morning. This truck traffic is pretty much constant, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If my 23 minutes are representative, and I feel they are, over 700 trucks a day could pass down this road now. Even if it is only half that, it is a catastrophic change to the natural soundscape. The speed limit is 75mph (120 kph) but I suspect a lot of trucks were exceeding that since there was little (no) law enforcement on this quiet road. You can hear how the truck noise completely overpowers the toads calls and forces them to stop and lose their rhythm for a minute or more after they pass. The microphone was set up on a tripod next to the flooded ditch at least 20 meters from the edge of the road. The trucks are just that loud! Some see the oil boom in this part of Texas as a boon and are making large amounts of money. I see paradise lost. Recorded with a Sennheiser ME62/K6 into an Olympus LS-11 recorder. Genre Soundscape Comment by The Sunken Hum Sound Diary They are trying to get fracking permits for where I live. This is such a good reminder of what can be lost as a result. 2013-06-26T12:03:18Z Comment by sandboa truck 3 2013-06-26T04:37:24Z Comment by sandboa trucks 1 and 2 2013-06-26T04:37:11Z