Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Got Salamanders?

Through work I'm involved in a study looking at salamander movement and dispersal.  The last few days have been hectic; today for example we caught/released 273 individual mole salamanders.

Dusk until dawn with my head buried in a paint can or hunched over a clipboard scribbling down data, I love it.

A single trap I checked on today contained a mix of 17 Spotted and Jefferson Salamanders and 15 Wood Frogs, it's nuts.  In the photo above you can also see an Eastern Newt.  In mentioning to a co-worker that we keep an 'incidentals' species list and maybe say you saw a Red Fox, you would note that.  10 minutes later, a Red Fox trots through the forest 50m from us.  It's so refreshing to know that habitats like this (and the creatures that inhabit them) are thriving!  

3 comments:

  1. Nice post. Don't often get to see so many salamanders at once like that. I'll have to be on the lookout for them again this year.

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    1. Yeah really, I would think this week is the peak for adult movement to ponds but always interesting to see what you can find peeking under logs any time of year.

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  2. Patrick - great posting here.A fantastic species! I still have not seen one of these beauties. I should try to find a location in Windsor that might host these guys. -DM

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