Tadpoles: The Big Little Migration

[@royalbookshopper]

I live in Port Alberni! Thank you for not naming the lake. The sanctity of its remoteness you emphasized clearly but subtlety. Vancouver Island is a magical place. I moved here 45 years ago (from southern Alberta) and have always felt that this is where I should have been born. Thank you for this masterpiece. I have subscribed! p.s. a friend in California sent me the link to this vid 🙂

[@syamanand]

My daughters enjoyed watching the video. They now think frogs are cool and lovable. Thank you for making and sharing this!

[@campbellrivertoday]

Many years ago I did a news story for CHEK TV about the Western Toad migration and the amphibian diversion fencing that can be seen along the (then) new Inland Island Highway. The biologist I interviewed said the migration on Vancouver Island is comparable to the amphibian world as the Fraser River Sockeye is to the fish world. The new highway had two foot high fencing installed to direct the small toads through culverts that were built for them to get to the other side of the highway. You can see the fencing along the highway just south of the Hamm Road turnoff. Every time I drive by there I think about the massive migration right here on Vancouver Island. Thanks for your wonderful look into their early life in the ponds and lakes we have right here. Great work!

[@maxwelhohn]

That's very interesting! I would like to spend more time next season documenting their journey on land as they make their way into the forest. It would be great to chat more with you about it, and perhaps get an interview with you

[@susanmaryphillips5932]

That is really neat. I will have to find that story. My now adult children, myself, and a friend were some of the many volunteers to collect the Western Toads from one side of the highway to transport in our buckets to the other side of the highway where they wanted to be. This was done before and during the fencing project. Before the fencing thousands of the little gaffers were crossing the highway with many meeting their demise and then causing slippery chaos on the road. I am not sure how many we collected together but the 10 litre pails were pretty full! As we carefully unloaded the buckets, we watched in amazement as the toads made a bee line for their "spot" all together and up and over anything in the path. My photos are of swift moving blurs of legs!

[@menorah57kaz]

...loved this think many of us, if not most have all been fascinated by frog spawn in ponds followed by those wiggly little creatures that magically grow legs and arms ...simpler days gone by but the frogs and toads of this Earth are a sign of a healthy environment...if they go we do ...thank you for such a beautiful film....

[@sleepchamber]

Cool video. I love hearing frogs in the summer evenings by the lake!

[@kimhamilton202]

This video should win all kinds of awards!!! Love it!!!

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much Kim!

[@grindermike6485]

That was incredible cinematography. You brought some new incite and awareness to these little guys through your hard work. Well done!

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks for watching!

[@deborahdesilets2188]

I grew up in a swamp with tadpoles as friends and love them to this day.Bravo!

[@jeremywatson153]

This reminds me of my Childhood growing up at Cultus Lake,wher my brother and I would catch the in Mason jars in a small pond,take them home to observe them at various stages in their development.. then returning the survivors to the pond.We didn't have a good survival rate,but it was a great lesson in Nature ! Thanks for the great Film .

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks for watching!

[@1Denthusiast]

I have a pond in my backyard and a swamp in my forest and toads lay eggs in the pond but my grandpa had to put chemicals in the pond to keep it clean so me and my so sister took the time to catch and raise them. After about a month we had to let them go because they were climbing out of their habitat.. a plastic container with dirt rocks sticks and algae. I love this short documentary thank you for sharing it! 💚🐸

[@paulinechapman9319]

How often do we think ...I’ll watch tadpoles today..so rewarding and educational..thank you for this enlightening film...will be reminded each time l see a frog..not taking it for granted..

[@maxwelhohn]

Thank you!

[@mikaericson726]

I cannot thank you enough for posting as free viewing - beautiful, beautiful documentary

[@StarchildVenus-og3db]

Thank you very much for showing the beauty of Vancouver Island 🙏❤️🙏

[@scottrauth8219]

Wonderful!!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@johnabernethy8873]

Excellent. I'm into Botany, Mycology, Ornithology etc. In the Forests and Mountains of Oregon for most of my 72 years

[@liv_7271]

I once had an American toad! Her name was potato and I got her as a tadpole. She lived about 8 years and she was so sweet. Tadpoles are just the cutest things 😄

[@Purelight1960]

Beautiful cinematography and narration.

[@JWinslow11]

Amazing work! I’ve always been FASCINATED by tadpoles and their metamorphosis.

[@cottageinhills3096]

Absolutely beautiful filming and the musical score adds to the sense of awe one feels at seeing such a miracle of nature. Let's hope this film raises awareness of the need to protect western toad habitat. They need clean lakes and ponds, undisturbed by human presence, boats, (jetskis! God forbid), etc. And that's before we talk about their terrestrial habitat. They need intact forests and they need to be able to migrate safely between their aquatic and terrestrial spaces. Thank you for this incredible production.

[@estebana.miralles3619]

Wonderful doc! Great camera work. Thanks so much.

[@virginiaelizabeth2597]

Watched in my "Vertebrates of BC" undergrad class at UVIC. Absolutely amazing captures of this aquatic underworld

[@AlexNovelli]

Best film I ever seen about tadpoles. Extremely amazing! Thank you!

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much!

[@claudiasmith4446]

I quite enjoyed watching the amazing tadpole journey and will be watching it again and forwarding it to other interested people. Thank you.

[@EarthAcademy9]

Wow! I love your film. Thank you for all the choices you made to make this a reality.

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much!

[@survival_of_the_sickest4448]

Absolutely amazing!! I loved raising little toads and frogs from tadpoles when I was young, brings back many good memories ❤️ thanks for putting this together, it is unreal!!!

[@jeremyhowe7737]

What a profound and impeccably crafted revelation of a dreamlike world that nonetheless proceeds serenely beyond our common knowledge. The richness of colour, shadow, and form are utterly mesmerizing!

[@michaljelenciak]

Masterpiece. Those creatures resemble horses sometimes in my mind.

[@roachmancam9012]

David attenborough would be proud of this . Great quality video

[@keiraasta-ferrero9831]

This video is soooo soothing! The music and even the narrator's Voice is soothing! Reminds me of my childhood catching them during science class and learning by observation and releasing them again. Listening to them as i fell asleep in later years! Im in a city now so i only see them if i go to a park 25 minutes away. I miss listening to them.

[@justpaulette]

Lovely - The soul of a single tadpole.

[@SarahCarrico]

What a joy to watch! ❤️

[@technoendo]

This is fantastic! Wonderful production on so many fronts!

[@marissaherzog7961]

So cool!!! The Aquatic Biologist where I work emailed us this video and I too was fascinated seeing the cute little tadpoles metamorphosis into land creatures. Now when I hike in the spring/summer I will be on the lookout for their cousins, the boreal toadlets :) Amazing work, thank you for making this!

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks for watching!

[@ae6669]

Nice work guys

[@maxwelhohn]

Thank you 🙏

[@EmilianoLoconsolo]

Thanx for bringing back my childhood Maxwell... Loved every shot of it

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much!

[@hitomikimura1935]

Thank you for sharing the beautiful footage of western toad's life history. I have been monitoring one of their populations for over 10 years and am pretty familiar with their life history from breeding to metamorphosis. Each stage of their metamorphosis always amazes me, particularly when I think of biology behind it. But communicating the public through high quality videos like yours is very powerful and valuable. I thank you, on behalf of western toads I really care about.

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much for your kind words!

[@marcellalonde2793]

Hello Hitomi, I as well have, accidentally been a witness to massive numbers of these tadpoles at another site. This occurred in the spring after seeing this video in the winter. I had returned a number of time to be disappointed in seeing any numbers. I am curious about their life stages, and wondered whether they disappear in the mud awaiting their other metamorphosis ? Any info would be appreciated.

[@narissahobson4340]

I can’t wait to show my kiddos this video! They’ll love it ☺️☺️

[@emilymaijenburg8383]

BEAUTIFULLY DONE, IM STUNNED

[@lilyvega171]

Thank you! Beautiful. I think you have brought every kid inside of us back to the nature we loved in those special little places nearly forgotten.

[@Stabbhard]

I`m an Island girl!! So happy to see this, thank you :)

[@ekconley6429]

Wow, great job! Though I have fond memories of hatching frog eggs from ditches in an aquarium, you're right, don't think of tadpoles as stunning photogenic as you've captured here!

[@cassidysmiles4659]

Wow just incredible!!!!

[@genevievelaurin3860]

Wonderful and awe-inspiring. Kudos for this cinematographic feat and this wonderful voyage into the tiny universe of tadpoles.

[@maxwelhohn]

Thank you 🙏

[@margarethawkins8088]

Amazing, excited to show my kindergarten students today!

[@vanwangye]

Beautifully filmed. I had rewatched this many times. As a scientific/ wildlife artist myself especially on theme of herpetology...this will drew inspiration for me.

[@thomas_pettersen]

Wow! That must have been a real challenge to film! Great job!

[@laurapope4715]

Thanks you so much Maxwel. What a fantastic vision into such a hidden world. There are so many secrets within our water world and it takes incredible patience to find and film them. When I first came to Denman Island I found WEstern Toads but they are no longer found in any of our wetlands. I fear for the little guys with the Bullfrogs on the mach on Vancouver Island - lets hope they can find a way to survive.

[@Shusha0029]

This was a amazing video! Thanks for taking us along! I see a bright and interesting future for you in film. Looking forward to seeing what else you discover and share! ❤️

[@duaneeickhoff288]

A story told with dedication-thank you!

[@valeriecharman1314]

Amazing!! Thank you for sharing this view with us!

[@frozencancukfinearts]

Award winning ! If not it damn well should.

[@thomas194907]

wow...who knew what really happens during their life...thankyou so much for sharing

[@JaneWarrenCampbell]

Incredible videography. Truly beautiful. Thank you!

[@janetjacobsen5850]

Fascinating! BTW, why does anyone place a thumbs down for amazing cinematography??

[@lxy7820]

As fine a nature film as I've ever seen! ❤ tadpoles!

[@maxwelhohn]

thank you :)

[@robinellison]

This is just gorgeous and fascinating. I have visited a local beaver pond almost daily for years. This summer for the first time have had to watch every step that I take because of the hundreds of tiny western toads. They have completely charmed me. This film charmed me, too.

[@JardinsAquadesign]

Beautiful fragile creatures, amazing videos, love it!!!

[@marioshimbov9868]

The time and energy you had invested in this film are well worth the final result! The perfectly captured tadpole migration is truly incredible, a very fascinating story people must see and learn about. Thanks for sharing with us!

[@GavinKohAquascaping]

What a great production! Your videography and storytelling was superbly done! You certainly deserve all the accolades you've received! As a budding film maker myself I know how much effort it takes to get all these shots and then edit them into a cohesive story after. Well done Max!

[@yosemitegal]

Wow. Just wow. Thank you for this incredibly beautiful film. Come to Yosemite and check out the Yosemite toad migration -over snow!

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much! That would be absolutely incredible to see

[@captkeith4167]

What a gem of a video. A perfect little nature documentary. Perfect timing too as we recently encountered a migration of tiny frogs on the Great Trail from Shawinigan to Cowichan and it was an amazing sight. To see this video just bookended that experience perfectly. Thank you and well done.

[@GregWittstockThePondGuy]

Spectacular! I have a new place to visit!!!

[@oliverholland6941]

The dedication it took to do this is inspiring. This is some incredible work!

[@MalaCrim]

Amazing film, well produced and educational. So different from most of the crap on KZbin.

[@holgermuller2262]

amazing.. so cute.. i love the little guys..:-) thanks for showing. greetings from Germany

[@dianeleduc5683]

Thank you for this awesome film you lucky duck.

[@cathylaycock5598]

Thank you Maxwell for working so long to bring us this amazing footage! I’m 66, born and raised on the island and didn’t know about this. Extremely educational and phenomenal! 🐸

[@segamai]

Your passion for your subjects is inspiring. Beautiful video!

[@FOSSILFERN10]

Amazing on so many levels. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to witness such an amazing phenomenom and to learn about these little creatures.

[@simonbath7178]

Beautifully shot Max, really great work.

[@clayway212]

Love this so much! Frogs are the best!

[@rafaellepra5770]

Fascinating, and touching film, the explanations are so easy to understand and follow. Amazing work

[@toribraem3071]

This is only video I've seen that is close to what I saw in Oregon while camping. We went in the middle of nowhere and found this body of water to camp at. And the water had BILLIONS of tadpoles in giant river like formations. It was crazy! They were everywhere! I haven't seen anything like it since.

[@rchristie5401]

Exceptional documentary. Thanks Max. Great work.

[@carolann8714]

Incredible! Thank you for the education and blessing in sharing!

[@lina-df8em]

this is so beautiful! thank you so much! I cant even tell you what this ment to me!

[@MissyMiniac]

A visual feast, beautifully captured. Thank you!

[@angiespearman6782]

Well done! Amazing little creatures, thanks so much for making & sharing this beautiful & informative documentary!

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much!

[@SteveSRT]

That was amazing. Thanks for sharing.

[@wa6451]

beautiful!

[@Octopusturtle]

Absolutely fabulous! ❤️

[@SusanNewmanDesignInc]

Marvelous! Thank you for all that you do to help Frogs! Let us know if there is a way we can support your efforts at Frogs Are Green!

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much!

[@pearlinefoo]

This is really beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@SueFerreira75]

Thank you, thank you, Maxwell. In a time of chaos amongst the Prime Predator on the planet, your video has filled me with joy and the YT link is going out to all my family and friends. 👏👏👏👏

[@agapyearish9982]

Stunning and moving. I’m sharing with everyone I know. Thank you for creating this masterpiece

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much!

[@wildarctic9354]

Absolutely stunning! A real inspiration :)

[@ellieboa]

such a fantastic documentary!

[@ShaneHerrick]

Excellent job Maxwel... as myself a nature filmographer, your footage and effort are inspiring to me. This was truly beautifully done.

[@timirvin1777]

Beautiful work!

[@rhilde1318]

Wonderful!! Thank you for sharing:)

[@mhatopzz4098]

I would love to see more tadpole documentaries

[@ursulahardwick9698]

This was beautiful Maxwell. So lovely to be able to witness this through your lens.

[@maxwelhohn]

Thank you very much 🙏

[@aricilbeig2687]

Amazing video! Felt like I was watching one of those Disney nature series episodes.

[@maxwelhohn]

Thanks so much!

[@BUGWHISPERER]

I do a lot of filming with inverts and herps. I've spent my share of time in spring ponds and I can't imagine how much work went into this. Very well done.

[@colleensmith8174]

Fascinating! Great work 😊

[@PSG1A1]

Stunning. Thank you!

[@WaywardLifeSailing]

That was so enjoyable to watch! Thanks for sharing :)

[@brownbly]

Wow. It's amazing in 4K

[@simonequattlebaum898]

So beautiful!

[@islandbirdw]

I have a pond in my backyard and it is an environment where these western toads live. I have been careful not to disturb them or use anything that might harm them. We’re lucky we have 3 different frogs and I’ve even seen a salamander in my yard.