Amphibian Cover Board Results

Today the amphibian cover boards were checked for a second time this summer. Interestingly enough the total number of salamanders that were found, 28, was the exact same number as last time the cover boards were checked in the middle of May. Also, like last time, I was only able to encounter the Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) and the Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens). However the major difference between this survey and May’s survey was that this time the salamanders discovered were less dispersed over all the grids. The Duck Pond and Pine Island grids, which are very close together in location, held the majority of salamanders, 10 and 11, while the Mott-Van Winkle Area had 4 salamanders, and the Interpretive Trail, Icehouse Marsh, and Butternut Brook, each had 1 salamander, respectively. In May, the total number of salamanders was spread out more evenly among almost all the grids, although Pine Island did have the majority of salamanders. The Duck Pond and Pine Island grids are located in a conifer dominated forest, next to a pond or vernal pool. Therefore we can hypothesize that the Red-backed Salamander and Red-spotted Newt prefer this type of habitat, which stays moist and cool from the conifers and harbors many invertebrates due to its proximity to water. 

Lead phase Red-backed Salamander

Red-backed Salamander

Typical Cover Board Grid

Red-spotted Newt (eft stage)

Over the past week we have added seven more amphibian cover board grids around White Memorial, focusing on the Catlin Woods area. We have also flagged three additional sites around the property to place more cover boards. These new grids will be left undisturbed for several weeks in order for salamanders to become established there. Hopefully by the end of the summer we will be able to survey all of the grids, both new and old, and really discover various amphibians’ ranges and will come across a population of Blue-spotted x Jefferson hybrid Salamanders. 

Late Season Reptile & Amphibian Activity

Northern Brown Snake photo from

www.piplon.org

Eastern Garter Snake photo by Dave Rosgen

Painted Turtle photo by Darlene Knox

Wood Frog photo by Ashley Hayes

Northern Spring Peeper photo by Ashley Hayes

Green Frog photo by Ashley Hayes

By the middle of November most reptiles and amphibians are starting to hibernate or brumate (a less deep sleep than hibernation). However, since part of this is temperature driven, and temperatures have fluctuated widely for the past 3 weeks, some of these animals have remained at least partially active. The majority of these have been Northern Spring Peepers, which are commonly heard peeping every fall well into November. Whether they are confused about the season or their peeping failed to get them a mate last spring is unknown. A Wood Frog, which is a species that hibernates under logs and other forest floor debris and emerges real early in the spring, was seen at Little Pond on the 13th. Green Frogs were seen on several occasions, including several hopping across White Hall Rd. by Pike Marsh on some of the recent mild, rainy evenings, and a few at Mallard Marsh. Last Tuesday, 11/15, Nicole Morin and I saw a Redback Salamander under a log along the Interpretive Trail and a Painted Turtle sunning itself at Ongley Pond. Later in the week, Jim Kandefer saw an Eastern Garter Snake along the Little Pond Boardwalk. The nearby Little Pond Trail produced our best herp find this month in the form of a baby Northern Brown Snake on the 12th. With the weather forecasted to continue to fluctuate between mild and chilly for the next 2 weeks, we may continue to see these animals for awhile.

Salamander Cover Boards

Red-backed Salamander photographed by

Dave Rosgen at WMF's Duck Pond Trail

On Tuesday, 8/23/11, I checked all 174 salamander cover boards at White Memorial's Ongley Pond, Lake, Windmill Hill, Butternut Brook, Interpretive, Duck Pond, and Pine Island Trails, Mott-Van Winkle Area, and the east slope of Windmill Hill. The results were rather disappointing: 50 Red-backed Salamanders, 7 Red Eft-stage Red-spotted Newts, and 2 Northern Spring Peepers. This is despite wet conditions which would seem to favor amphibians. However, I did find huge numbers of earthworms; many of them being of nightcrawler size. Some concern has been expressed by herpetologists about the growing numbers of earthworms (most of which are non-native species) and their possibly ill effects on salamanders. I found at least 500 earthworms under our salamander boards. Five days after this survey, Tropical Storm Irene hit, dumping 8 inches of rain on this part of Litchfield, and flooding most of our salamander boards. Yesterday I found 21 of the 25 boards at the Interpretive Trail floating in the Pike Marsh's flooded backwater. Two boards were missing, and the 2 remaining boards on land harbored 4 Red-backed Salamanders. Of the 20 boards at Mott-Van Winkle, 6 were missing. The remaining 14 boards harbored 3 Red-backs. I'm heading out now to check on the fate of the rest of the cover boards.

Where to Find Mid-Spring Migrant Birds at White Memorial

Savannah Sparrow photo by Paul Fusco

Greater Yellowlegs photo by Paul Fusco

A question was asked recently about the locations of our bird sightings during the spring migration at White Memorial. The person asking the question wondered why so many of the sightings were around the "Main Area" and Little Pond. The answer is simple, with 3 reasons. First, these places are convenient to get to, especially for us staff members who have other duties to perform around the Museum, which is at the center of the "Main Area". Second, they are generally easy to walk around and offer relatively easy viewing of birds. The "Main Area" consists of the lawns around the Museum, White Hall Rd. and its side driveways, Ongley, Activity, Carriage House, and Mill Fields, and Lake, Ongley Pond, Mill Field, and Interpretive Trails, and N. Shore and Pike Marshes. The Little Pond area consists of the Pond, itself, associated marshes, the primary trail leading in from White's Woods Rd. through the Old Sewer Beds, the secondary trail leading in from White's Woods Rd. along Moulthrop Brook, the boardwalk connector leading in from South Lake St., and the boardwalk around Little Pond. Third, these areas include grassy, mixed herbaceous, and shrubby fields, shrubby and wooded edges, mixed hardwood, hemlock/hardwood, white pine/hardwood, white pine/hemlock, and white pine forests, cattail, mixed herbaceous, and shrubby marshes, shrubby hardwood swamps, hardwood swamps, ponds, and the Bantam River for habitats. This is one heck of a mix of habitats in a relatively small geographic area, and they consistently prove themselves to be extremely attractive to migrant birds. They offer everything birds need in terms of food, water, and shelter. It also helps that we provide bird feeders at the Museum and try to encourage native berry, seed, and nut producing vegetation to grow around this area. It's only 3 days into the month of May and we've already seen or heard 68 species of birds on the Property with all of them occurring around the "Main Area" or Little Pond. These include the Greater Yellowlegs and Savannah Sparrow shown in the accompanying photos. Other neat birds found around here since the last blog post include Black Vulture, Merlin, American Woodcock, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Wood Thrush, Nashville, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, and Prairie Warblers, Northern Parula, and American Redstart. These birds were encountered at all times of the day, but the most productive times were before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m. This is the best time of the year to see birds, so come out to White Memorial and enjoy them; and please remember to post your sightings on ebird.org.