Finds from NYC

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shredsteban
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Finds from NYC

Post by shredsteban »

Hi everyone, I'm new to New York. Been herping for some years now and just relocated to NYC for work. These are my recent finds. These were all found in Manhattan except for the DOR Eastern Garter Snake, which was found in the Bronx close to my apartment.

I'm originally from California and did a lot of extensive field herping there. It has been refreshing to get out and still find things here in the city. Even if they aren't significant finds, it's nice to see there are still species that are holding on in the city. Hope you all enjoy.

ImageRed-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr
ImageRed-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr
ImageRed-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr
ImageRed-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr
ImageLead phase Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr
ImageLead phase Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr

Imageeaterngarterdor by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr
ImageBronx River by Nick Barrientos, on Flickr
jspreitzer
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by jspreitzer »

Very nice herp pics and super Bronx river, fall colors shot.
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Kyle from Carolina
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by Kyle from Carolina »

Nice to see some wild critters from such an urban area. I'm curious to know what other wild herps occur on the island, specifically snakes.
I'm surprised to see the gartersnake from the bronx, I thought it would be too built up over there.
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shredsteban
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Post by shredsteban »

Thanks everyone! The Eastern Garter was found on the grounds of the New York Botanical Gardens. It's right along the Bronx River and still holds some snakes here and there.
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cbernz
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by cbernz »

I never saw any snakes growing up in the city, but I bet there are some places where you can find Dekay's and maybe a couple other species.

Pretty sure those are the first photos of Manhattan salamanders I've ever seen. I think the only herps I've ever seen in my limited experience in Manhattan are Red-eared Slider and Green Frog.

I would be very interested to see if you could find a Eurycea bislineata or any other salamander species in Manhattan.
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shredsteban
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by shredsteban »

cbernz wrote:I never saw any snakes growing up in the city, but I bet there are some places where you can find Dekay's and maybe a couple other species.

Pretty sure those are the first photos of Manhattan salamanders I've ever seen. I think the only herps I've ever seen in my limited experience in Manhattan are Red-eared Slider and Green Frog.

I would be very interested to see if you could find a Eurycea bislineata or any other salamander species in Manhattan.
I would really like to find any specie of salamander other than P. cinereus, but if that's all I find while I'm here, I won't complain! I've seen pictures of other people finding E. bislineata upstate and they're pretty little critters. As for herping spots, I've been trying to frequent the areas with the least development and any area near a water source that hasn't been built up. I gained a lot of insight from Frank Indiviglio's post here

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatrepti ... i9Cxa6rTBI

which has guided my search quite a bit. I haven't mustered the courage to stop around abandoned lots just yet and that's not something I would be fond of doing alone.
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ZantiMissKnit
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by ZantiMissKnit »

Nick, these are great! I would not be surprised by an eastern garter near the botanical gardens; of course, this means there is a food source for them (I would think that, in addition to worms, they would need some sort of vertebrate in their diet).

There are supposed to be a population of (introduced, obviously) Italian wall lizards somewhere in the Bronx, as well as on Long Island. Oh, and LI is supposed to be pretty good for many species, if you feel like taking a field trip. :)
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NewYorkHerper16
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by NewYorkHerper16 »

What a fantastic post! It's great to see that there are herps in Manhattan! I've seen garter snakes, fowler's toads, and a box turtle in Kings County, but had no idea there was anything left on Manhattan Island itself!

I'm from Long Island and find a lot of great herps (including those Two-Lined Salamanders you mentioned). If you ever want to come out here, i could show you a ton of awesome stuff that you wouldn't be able to find in the city. In a few weeks i'll post an "end of year" post with all the pics from this year, with the majority coming from Long Island and a little further away in the Catskills.

And as Andrea said, LI has a LOT of wall lizards. In certain places in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, they are everywhere!

Happy herping!

-Alex
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shredsteban
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by shredsteban »

ZantiMissKnit wrote:Nick, these are great! I would not be surprised by an eastern garter near the botanical gardens; of course, this means there is a food source for them (I would think that, in addition to worms, they would need some sort of vertebrate in their diet).

There are supposed to be a population of (introduced, obviously) Italian wall lizards somewhere in the Bronx, as well as on Long Island. Oh, and LI is supposed to be pretty good for many species, if you feel like taking a field trip. :)

Thank you! All very interesting notes. Others here have told me about the Italian Wall Lizards and they definitely spark an interest for me. I once found a Mediterranean Gecko back in California inside a telephone box. I was doing utility work and it was in between the lid and the hinge that holds the lid up. Not a native species but a very fun find since it was in the middle of a city in a business loop!
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shredsteban
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by shredsteban »

NewYorkHerper16 wrote:What a fantastic post! It's great to see that there are herps in Manhattan! I've seen garter snakes, fowler's toads, and a box turtle in Kings County, but had no idea there was anything left on Manhattan Island itself!

I'm from Long Island and find a lot of great herps (including those Two-Lined Salamanders you mentioned). If you ever want to come out here, i could show you a ton of awesome stuff that you wouldn't be able to find in the city. In a few weeks i'll post an "end of year" post with all the pics from this year, with the majority coming from Long Island and a little further away in the Catskills.

And as Andrea said, LI has a LOT of wall lizards. In certain places in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, they are everywhere!

Happy herping!

-Alex
Thanks Alex! I would love to come to LI and do some herping there. I will definitely plan on making a trip down! I will be in NYC until next July before heading back to California for a few months and ultimately landing in Africa for a long term trip. Can't wait to see your "end of year" post. I'm sure it will help me get through the winter by giving me hope for spring. When does the herp season officially end here in the NE?
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cbernz
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by cbernz »

I've seen Italian Wall Lizards at Pelham Bay Park - no idea if they are still active this late in the year.

Tiger Salamanders breed in December and January, and Blue-spotteds start as early as late February, so there's really only a few weeks in the Northeast where there's no season at all. Even during the frozen heart of winter you can dipnet for salamander larvae in running streams if you feel so inclined. In general, around here, most reptiles seem to shut down between November and mid-March, although you can find turtles and snakes out sometimes on exceptionally warm winter days.
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LouB747
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by LouB747 »

Always cool to herp somewhere new. Almost everything's a lifer. Look forward to seeing the next garter alive.
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shredsteban
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by shredsteban »

cbernz wrote:I've seen Italian Wall Lizards at Pelham Bay Park - no idea if they are still active this late in the year.

Tiger Salamanders breed in December and January, and Blue-spotteds start as early as late February, so there's really only a few weeks in the Northeast where there's no season at all. Even during the frozen heart of winter you can dipnet for salamander larvae in running streams if you feel so inclined. In general, around here, most reptiles seem to shut down between November and mid-March, although you can find turtles and snakes out sometimes on exceptionally warm winter days.

Great information, thank you. I may or may not get out during the winter. I'd love to continue contributing to the HERP database in the winter if it needs more documentation of anything within NYC but I also don't want to bite off more than I can chew. At this point in my time here, herping is a foreign privilege and any outings to suitable city habitat is the best alone time I can get. So, I may just find myself dipnetting for larvae in the bitter cold!
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beemaster
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Re: Finds from NYC

Post by beemaster »

ZantiMissKnit wrote:Nick, these are great! I would not be surprised by an eastern garter near the botanical gardens; of course, this means there is a food source for them (I would think that, in addition to worms, they would need some sort of vertebrate in their diet).

There are supposed to be a population of (introduced, obviously) Italian wall lizards somewhere in the Bronx, as well as on Long Island. Oh, and LI is supposed to be pretty good for many species, if you feel like taking a field trip. :)
In response to the bolded section, that's always been my belief as well. I don't generally tell people that because I have never read any studies that back up that belief, it has simply been instilled in me by own experiences. I grew up in some decidedly urban areas and noticed that garter snakes were generally missing from those areas, but could be found anywhere that amphibians could also be found. For example, in the southern half of the city of New Bedford, where I grew up, I only found garter snakes in two locations separated by about 3-4 miles. One was a small, wooded lot off a busy road that supported a good population of redback salamanders. The other was Buttonwood Park, which supported green frogs, bullfrogs, peepers, and two-lined salamanders in good numbers, plus the occasional redback salamander, pickerel frog, and American toad.

This same pattern seemed to repeat itself quite nicely in the urbanized areas north of downtown, as well as those in the nearby cities of Taunton and Fall River. So I would say that I strongly believe what you said, but would caution that I have no empirical data to back that up. I'd have to imagine that somebody, at some point, must have conducted some type of study that addresses this to some extent.
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