French bothered by the sounds of mating frogs

No two ways about it — winter is coming. It's well below freezing in Boston. What we'd give to open the bedroom windows to hear the summer sounds of crickets and tree frogs. On the other hand, they can get kind of noisy.

So, spare a thought for people who live near one pond in the Dordogne in southern France — a pond that is home to just 20 frogs. But when they mate, they create an intolerable racket for some nearby homeowners. These neighbors argue that the pond was built without permits — the unforeseen consequence being, it's become a swingers club for amphibians.

Officials measured the froggy lovemaking at 63 decibels. That's about the level of an air conditioner.

But owners of the pond, Michel and Annie Pecheras, say the so-called noise is just part of living in the country. And Michel Pecheras says it's not like the frogs are the only sounds out in nature. "Here the wild boar come drink at the pond. You can see their tracks in the mud there," he told Paris-based BBC reporter John Laurenson. "In the summertime, the birds sing very early in the morning. It's noise. But it's nice noise. If you don't like it, stay in the towns."

A pro-frog Facebook page popped up supporting the pond. And it wasn't long before the anti-frog bloc became victims of internet trolling. But they stand by their position that the pond needs to go.

"Fill it in with rubble," they say. "Stop the racket!"

But rallying behind the owners of the pond are the local farmers, who can't seem to understand the complaints. "The countryside isn't a museum. It's not sanitized," says a local farmer. "It's a living place with noises and smells where animals live and people work."

(And an online petition has garnered over 100,000 signatures in favor of the pond owners.)

Likewise, Michel Pecheras remains defiant. He has proof the pond was there before him, and he just re-dug it a new spot, farther away from the neighbors.

The fate of the pond now rests with the law: France's supreme court is set to decide whether the pond must be filled in, after all. (The legal battle began in 2012.) The Pecharas are hoping the court will overturn the judgment from a regional court in Bordeaux that ruled in favor of their neighbors.

As for the frogs, well, there's a "do not disturb" sign on their door.