Right away I found frogs littering the road - mostly Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs. It was good to see these species again after a long, cold winter!
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| Spring Peeper |
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| Wood Frog |
The rain made photography difficult, but every now and then a break in the weather allowed me to take a few photos.
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| Wood Frog |
As the night wore on, several Northern Leopard Frogs made appearances on a different road that passes through some grassy areas.
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| female Northern Leopard Frog |
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| female Northern Leopard Frog |
Eventually I stopped at a favorite forest of mine, complete with many ephemeral wetlands that a variety of amphibian species use for breeding each spring. After checking some small vernal ponds, I arrived at one of the better pools in the area - a shallow, wide, fish-less wetland that slowly drains into a large cattail and sedge marsh. I made it half way around the edge of the pond until my flashlight beam caught a glimpse of black and yellow. The first Spotted Salamander of the year!
Several males were near the edge, presumably waiting for a female to enter the pond. A few more latecomers were clambering down the hillsides.
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| male Spotted Salamander |
I continued on after close to an hour with the Spotted Salamanders. It's always a special moment for me every spring to visit this particular site and lay eyes on the first Ambystomatid salamander of the spring.
The Blue-spotted Salamanders weren't in any ponds that I checked, but the first few ones were on the move, crossing trails in the light mist. Considering their short stubby legs and small body size, an obstacle as small as a large twig can be quite the obstruction. It is amazing to think that some of these salamanders will travel upwards of 1 km to find their wetland that they return to every year!
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| male Blue-spotted Salamander |
While not a great photo, I thought I would share the following because of the cool behaviour it depicts. This is a female Spotted Salamander laying eggs near the bottom of the wetland. The small ball of eggs will be deposited on a stick, and as the eggs absorb water and swell they will increase substantially in size. I've only photographed this once before so I was happy to again.
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| female Spotted Salamander laying eggs |
Estimates for the night:
20 Wood Frog
15 Spring Peeper (+ around 50 calling)
6 N. Leopard Frog:
35 Spotted Salamander
4 Blue-spotted Salamander
Surprisingly no newts were seen, but it was very early in the season. I also did not cross paths with any Jefferson Salamanders, though most seasons I only see a couple of them.
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