Field Herp Forum

The low temps this week in central Vermont have ranged from -14 F to 1 F, which is a good bit colder than average. Day time temps finally got above freezing again yesterday for the first time in over a week. We've got a while to wait, it's great to see some pics of movement down south to hold me ove...

I know we don't have many Vermont members currently (to be honest, right now it's just me), but I wanted to make this program announcement for anyone willing to make a road trip. Or, better yet, please help spread the word if you know anyone else in the state... this is sure to be a great talk! Timb...

In central/northern Vermont, some herps can be found in some places year-round, but not many (places or herps). This winter has been particularly brutal. I counted 14 days since January 1 with temperatures at or below 0 F. But the past few days have been mild with lots of melting, and with temps aro...

We've still got a ways to go in Vermont. In central Vermont, at my sites of elevation ~1,000 ft, I'm guessing April 26. At lower elevations, in the Champlain Valley, maybe April 10. Winter is far from over up here.

My morbid highlight of 2013 was definitely this. I'd read about this happening, but never seen it. I was at a pool in a fairly developed area that was overloaded with Wood Frogs. There were hundreds of singing males, but barely any females. Things got ugly. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8536/8639692...

That's pretty funny! I'm not sure who is in charge of updating the state website, and even if they did, there are poster versions of that all over. I have that poster in my office. Some of those posters are still available for sale in a few spots I know. My advice is that your friend embrace the pho...

http://www.naherp.com/vouchers/160348-205727.jpg On a hot, muggy summer afternoon, the edge of a powerline cut was the last place I expected to bump into a young Gray Treefrog. I loved the composition of it on the wild cucumber. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8658162894_957737deca.jpg I had bee...

I think any lifer that is a DOR is maybe lame, but definitely sad. Well this wasn't even DOR... it was DOPTTMEOANWR (dead-on-path-to-the-main-entrance-of-a-national-wildlife-refuge). http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/10943904856_73d8480058.jpg Thankfully we saw a live adult later, but this poor, de...

Hi folks! I'm more than a little late with this post, but I lead a group from Vermont down to southern New Jersey for the World Series of Birding last month with the North Branch Nature Center. The weather made birding challenging at times, but it was ideal for herping! I have a blog post with a bun...

FYI, here's my opinion, and why I voted "no" to this proposed change: I share similar privacy concerns to those stated by others. It is important to protect the privacy of those submitting data. Those who have submitted data did so with the understanding that their data would be protected and not re...

The variation in Gartersnake coloration can be pretty astounding. My favorite are the ones with extensive red. Found a beaver pond in Lamoille County, VT a few years ago where there were many of these... here's one: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4136/4805886799_b8a38aa987.jpg http://farm5.staticflic...

Hi all,

I figured this would be of interest... don't know much about this event, or the organization that hosts it (Center for Snake Conservation), but details can be found here: http://www.snakecount.org/.

Happy herping,
- Larry

Hello New Englanders!

Afraid i wont be able to make it to outings this year. I've got a full plate. But if anyone ever finds themselves in central Vermont, hit me up! Will be at a site tomorrow that is good for mink frogs, will post if I find any, and good luck in CT!

Cheers,
Larry

Nice shots. Seems odd to see them moving this late. Are they normally moving this late there, or is the drought affecting them? It's right on time for our area in central Vermont, maybe a little bit early even. Many Wood Frogs moved during the warm spell in March, weeks earlier than the previous ea...

Conditions were perfect last night in central Vermont for amphibian migrations, and I got quite a show. I was out for about 2.75 hours on a stretch of road in Washington County, and rains were steady with temp's in the low 40's. I think most of the frogs had already moved on previous nights aside fr...

Most (but not all) Watersnakes I've handled are quite aggressive. They have an anticoagulant in their saliva that can cause bites to bleed quite a bit more than one would expect... makes the bites look pretty gruesome until you wipe away the blood and can't find the teeth marks! The reason I've hear...

Tuesday (4/10) in Chittenden County, VT was rainy, 41 degrees, perfect for some amphibian movement! I spent about 2 hours on a stretch of road about 1/3 mile long crossing amphibians as I found them. 14 cars drove by during that time resulting in 24 DOR Spring Peepers, 1 DOR Leopard Frog, 2 DOR East...

Here in Vermont, we had some amphibian migrations back during the heat-wave in March but I was out of town. Finally, tonight, I was around for some action! Chittenden County, VT - 4/10, 8:54-10:48pm (Road Survey) Spring Peeper - 80 + 24 DOR Leopard Frog - 1 DOR Spotted Salamander - 7 + 4 DOR Jeffers...

One of the ways you can tell this is a domestic goose is from that saggy belly that nearly drags on the floor (domestic Mallards can show this as well). As for what type, this could certainly be a hybrid, which wouldn't be too unusual. Check out this flickr page which has some photos of Greylag X Ch...

Hello fellow herp-enthusiasts, I am a current graduate student studying conservation biology in New Hampshire (and convinced to join this forum by fellow classmate Kari Post). When not in school, I work as an environmental educator on a variety of projects, including many related to birds, reptiles,...