Year in Review - Part Two

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mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Year in Review - Part Two

Post by mtratcliffe »

Hey everyone, welcome to Part Two of my year-end recap! In Part One, I covered my time in Florida and elsewhere in the South. In late July, I got news that I would be moving to the D.C. area in September to go work at the Pentagon. As such, I took a week in August to travel north and look for a new place in Northern Virginia. During that time, I staged out of my parents' house in Anne Arundel County, MD, and squeezed in some herping inbetween house showings. A lot of the finds in this post are common herps, but I promise that things get more interesting later on. Since moving back north, I have turned up 10 lifers, assuming that I identified some tadpoles correctly. Do tadpoles count as lifers? I dunno.

I was also able to get a good amount of county records this year in H.E.R.P., as well as get the first database records for the cities of Alexandria and Fairfax. Don't forget to upload your records!

First up, here are some herps from a few parks in Northern Virginia. The first park is a large wetlands in Fairfax County.

American Toad caught by a nature center

ImageDSCN2333 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2332 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

This was the Summer of Skinks for me. I saw more skinks from July through September than at any other point in my life. On this day, I saw several Five-lined Skinks at this park.

ImageDSCN2227 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2340 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9494 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9496 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2230 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Eastern Painted Turtles are common along the boardwalk

ImageDSCN2233 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2236 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2237 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2238 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Several frog species can also easily be seen from the boardwalk

Bullfrogs

ImageDSCN2270 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2249 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2305 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2496 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2507 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Southern Leopard Frogs - actually my first visual on one. I had only previously seen Florida Leopard Frogs.

ImageDSCN2281 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2516 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Green Frogs

ImageDSCN2321 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2334 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I also just about doubled my Eastern Snapping Turtle records on that day. Four total were seen rummaging about in the muck and the mire.

ImageDSCN2254 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2258 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2260 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2309 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2314 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2326 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Juvenile Homo sapiens rolling around on the boardwalk

ImageDSCN2513 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

In my new hometown of Springfield, there's a neat pond that makes for a good quick herping session. I went there a few times throughout the year, but these photos are from my summer stops.

Red-eared Sliders, Snappers, and Painted Turltes can be found in the pond

RES

ImageDSCN2088 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Snapper

ImageDSCN2100 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2101 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Painted

ImageDSCN2105 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

A lot of local kids like to come to the dock on this pond to catch and release the turtles, to include the Snappers!

ImageDSCN2213 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2216 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Green Frog in a nearby creek

ImageDSCN2108 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

A sign

ImageDSCN2119 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

And an American Toad underneath

ImageDSCN2121 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Skinks are common at this locale, especially the juveniles

ImageDSCN2134 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2135 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2208 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2211 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Only ever saw one Northern Watersnake there

ImageDSCN2137 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I also came across a flooded section in the forest, as it had recently rained heavily. I imagine this spot will be a good vernal pool in the spring, and I did manage to turn up a Spotted Salamander nearby later in November (you'll see it further on down this post). There were a few tadpoles hanging out, and I had a difficult time identifying them, but I deduced them to be Uplands Chorus Frogs. They are definitely hylids, but I can't think of anything else that would be breeding this late in the year (even though it's also late for Chorus Frogs). The only other hylids found at this spot are Peepers and Cope's/Gray Treefrogs.

ImageDSCN9477 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9478 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9480 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2114 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Blue Dasher that landed on my hand

ImageDSCN2098 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

While up looking for houses, I decided to knock the city of Alexandria off for the H.E.R.P. database, as it had no records. There's not many places to herp there, but there is at least one reliable park with some unique habitat along a fast-moving, rock-bottomed creek. I was able to turn up four county records with a quick trip there.

It was a hot day (94 F), so not much was out, but I did turn up a few Northern Watersnakes and some sheds. Given the number of rocks and crevices along this creek, there must be dozens, if not hundreds, of Watersnakes along the section that cuts through the park. There was a natural pool in the creek where I found the two sheds, and I wish I had worn a swimsuit, as the water was very refreshing.

ImageDSCN2351 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2368 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2352 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2355 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Eastern Painted Turtle from a small pond in the park

ImageDSCN2361 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Bullfrogs

ImageDSCN2363 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2366 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

On my way out of the park, I was checking by a shed for some herps, as there was flippable cover there. I didn't flip anything, but I did find this juvenile Five-lined Skink hanging out in a garbage bin that contained rain water.

ImageDSCN2372 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9504 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9505 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Finally, I also stopped by a park in southern Anne Arundel County, MD during my visit, turning up some more generic East Coast herps.

Fowler's Toads

ImageDSCN9492 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9485 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2178 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Five-lined Skink hiding between the boards near the end of a very long pier. I never would have imagined that I'd find skinks there, but I did. There was marshland not far from the pier, but it didn't strike me as typical skink habitat.

ImageDSCN9486 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Eastern Fence Lizards are ridiculously easy to find along the fences at the parking lot

ImageDSCN2204 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2203 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2200 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2140 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Bullfrog in a creek

ImageDSCN2195 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Bullfrog hanging out by a boardwalk piling

ImageDSCN2150 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Painted Turtles in a large pond - looks like good Spotted Turtle habitat

ImageDSCN2188 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2187 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2183 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Broadhead Skink by the nature center

ImageDSCN2161 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

After we moved up from Florida, we spent Labor Day Weekend at my in-laws in Delaware. Didn't really have any time to herp while there, but I was able to turn up a few frog species.

Cope's Gray Treefrogs were a common sight on the house during the warm, humid nights. One of them even made its way into the family room!

ImageCope's Gray Bonnie's House 2 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageCope's Gray Bonnie's House 3 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageCope's Gray Bonnie's House by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I found this Green Frog and the tadpoles below in a tire rut that had been filled with water, just a few feet from a country road in northeastern MD. I believe the tadpoles are New Jersey Chorus Frogs, as there are obviously hylids of some sort, and the only other hylid species that would be breeding in that sort of habitat might be Cope's Gray Treefrogs, which these tadpoles are not.

ImageDSCN2472 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9510 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9511 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9513 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

The week after Labor Day I had to start work at the Pentagon, but our house wasn't ready for us to move in to yet, so I commuted to work from my parents' house in MD. On my way from DE to MD (leaving my wife and kid behind), I stopped at a few spots in Anne Arundel County to herp, and I managed to turn up two lifers that day!

Southern Leopard Frogs were fairly common in this creek

ImageDSCN2380 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2385 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

In this same creek, I also turned up a frog easily confused for Leopard Frogs - the Pickerel Frog. This was a lifer for me, as I started herping after I had moved out of this frog's range. Now I just need to hear their calls!

ImageDSCN2404 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2406 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Also in the creek was a Green Frog and a Fowler's Toad

ImageDSCN2410 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9545 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

While walking through the woods, I really didn't see much else except for a Northern Black Racer that darted away from me. However, thanks to some exhaustive log flipping, I did manage to flip this nice little surprise.

ImageDSCN9533 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

These were my lifer Eastern Wormsnakes! They are very squirmy when held, but you can't help but love such gentle snakes. Based on the size of Wormsnakes I would later see, I'm guessing these were juveniles.

ImageDSCN9522 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9524 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9525 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9529 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Later on, I flipped another Wormsnake, this one an adult

ImageDSCN9535 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

On the way from this park to my parent's house, I stopped at a restoration site within Annapolis city limits. This creek was restored a few years back to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, and it has been a huge success. There's several acres of wetlands now, teeming with turtles and frogs.

Eastern Painted Turtle

ImageDSCN2417 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Eastern Snapping Turtle

ImageDSCN2424 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

A bevy of Bess Beetles

ImageDSCN2438 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

More Painted Turtles

ImageDSCN2441 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2457 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

On the way back to my car, I nearly stepped on this Northern Black Racer that was stretched out across the trail. It let me take a few pictures before doing what it does best - darting off into the brush.

ImageDSCN2470 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN2469 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

In mid-September, we finally moved in to my house. I love it here! Besides being a nice house, it backs up to some woods, and I can see an ephemeral creek from my deck. Said creek flows into a proper creek, which flows year round and probably has lots of Watersnakes, but I haven't seen any yet. However, since moving in, I have discovered 11 species of herps at my house our within a few hundred feet of it. What's neat is that I've found a lot of these with my son nearby! Here are some examples of each.

#1 Five-lined Skinks - the only lizard species so far. They live in my garden.

Imageiphone Five-lined Skink 1 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9575 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9573 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9571 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#2 Eastern Box Turtle - the only one I've turned up so far. My son loved seeing this guy!

ImageDSCN9577 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

The indent in the plastron shows that this one is a male

ImageDSCN9580 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9582 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#3 Northern Brownsnake (lifer) - the only snakes I've found here are of the fossorial variety. I have a downspout splash guard under which I have flipped three species of snakes!

ImageDSCN9555 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9552 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Imageiphone Northern Brownsnake 2 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9588 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

My wife found this one on a mild November day

Imageiphone Northern Brownsnake 3 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#4 - Northern Ringneck Snake (lifer)

Imageiphone Northern Ringneck Snake 8 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

This one was more than a foot long in length

Imageiphone Northern Ringneck Snake 3 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Imageiphone Northern Ringneck Snake by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#5 - Eastern Wormsnake. I have only found these under the splash guard.

Imageiphone Eastern Wormsnake 1 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

This one was found on Thanksgiving Day, and in pretty rough shape

Imageiphone Eastern Wormsnake 4 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#6 - American Toad. These toads are very abundant and can be reliably found on the sidewalks on warm nights. I have probably found a dozen individuals within three hundred feet of my house.

Many of the American Toads around here have plain bellies

Imageiphone American Toad 8 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Imageiphone American Toad 4 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Imageiphone American Toad 2 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9570 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Imageiphone American Toad 7 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#7 - Wood Frog. These are found all over the woods. Can't wait to hear these calling come springtime.

ImageDSCN9655 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9614 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9584 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Imageiphone Wood Frog 1 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#8 - Green Frog. These are found in the creek behind my house.

ImageDSCN9634 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9627 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9682 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9662 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#9 - Northern Two-lined Salamander (lifer). I have seen so many of these in the woods, that I could make my own post just about them. Here are a few standouts.

ImageDSCN9956 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9951 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9917 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Their larvae are very common in the slow-moving parts of the ephemeral creek. You just have to look carefully! I love watching them grow over the past few months.

ImageDSCN9693 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9700 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9703 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9689 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#10 - Eastern Red-backed Salamander. Another common species. They didn't start appearing until mid-October. I see a lot of Leadback phases around here.

Imageiphone Redbacked Salamander 17 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Imageiphone Redbacked Salamander 16 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Count 'em!

ImageDSCN9905 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Leadback

ImageDSCN9904 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

#11 - Northern Dusky Salamander (lifer). This is my favorite salamander that I can find in this creek. I've only turned up three of them, so they are by far the most secretive of the three species. All of them have been flipped under rocks in the creek.

Here's the first one I've ever found. I was walking the creek upstream towards its source, but it quickly became intermittent with only a few small pools of water. More like puddles. I was surprised to find this one, as I founded it in an eroded section of the stream between two homes that had a lot of rocks but only a little bit of water. The stream wasn't even flowing in this section.

ImageDSCN9912 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Juvenile

ImageDSCN0005 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

A large adult, and by far the largest of the three

ImageDSCN9962 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9967 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Time to start wrapping up this post. That about does it for herps around my house, but I still have a few more neat finds to share with you all.

First up, in mid-October, we had a lot of rain push through, so I took the opportunity to go roadcruising in a nearby NWR. Green Treefrogs, Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, and American Toads were prevalent. I also turned up one Wood Frog.

ImageDSCN9781 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9777 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Giant Millipede

ImageDSCN9745 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9744 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9739 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9726 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9722 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9714 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

There were no salamanders on the roads, but that doesn't mean I didn't see any! I took the opportunity to hike a trail during my roadcruising, and this produced for me two lifers that I was very happy to see! I found a total of four Marbled Salamanders and one Spotted Salamander. Two of the Marbleds were just out foraging; everything else was flipped under a log. It was definitely a worthwhile night to go out herping!

ImageDSCN9733 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9749 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9932 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9765 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9732 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9768 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9774 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

In November, I went back to the park with the pond where the kids like to catch turtles. It was a mild day, so I set out to find me some salamanders there as there's plenty of woods. I even managed to spy two Painted Turtles out basking! However, looking for sallies was slow going for most of the time. I turned up a Redback and a Spotted early on, then struck out for about the next hour until I found more Redbacks. and a Two-lined. The Spotted Salamander was found near the vernal pool where I saw the Upland Chorus Frog tadpoles, so I now have at least one vernal to check out this Spring. Hopefully there are more Spotteds than what I saw that day!

ImageDSCN9894 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9926 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9895 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9945 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9929 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

That month, we also went to a park in Fairfax City and I was able to knock that city off the unvouchered list of counties in H.E.R.P. Nothing special here, but it's always a joy to turn up herps in an urban environment!

Field Mice under a log

ImageDSCN2678 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Autumn Meadowhawks were still out in November. These dragonflies fly later in the year than almost any other species!

ImageDSCN2686 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Easter Red-backed Salamanders were extremely common at one site in Fairfax

ImageDSCN9866 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9869 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9871 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Pickerel Frog

ImageDSCN9880 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9884 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Finally, on November 30th, we had a warm rain system push through in the evening. Temps remained at 61F after the showers, which were great conditions for roadcruising. I suited up and headed south to Prince William County and has a fair amount of success. I feel that I could have turned up more if the roads weren't covered in leaf litter, which made it difficult to spot anything smaller than an adult toad or frog. This night was my final dedicated herping outing for the year.

My first find of the night was this Cope's Gray Treefrog, which had odd injuries to both legs.

ImageDSCN0045 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0049 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

This large (8+ in) Spotted Salamnader was easy to spot while it was crossing the road.

ImageDSCN0051 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0060 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0061 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Wood Frogs and American Toads were the only finds I had from then on

ImageDSCN0062 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0067 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0069 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0070 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0078 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0080 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0086 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0089 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0093 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN0102 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Wow, and that wraps it up! That was way more photos than I remembered, but I had a lot to cover. Thanks to all of you who read to the very end! I hope you enjoyed my 2016 recaps.

Species observed since moving to VA. My head count puts me at about 81 species for the year!

Turtles
Eastern Painted Turtles
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Red-Eared Slider
Eastern Box Turtle

Lizards
Five-lined Skink
Eastern Fence Lizard
Broadhead Skink

Snakes
Eastern Wormsnake (lifer)
Northern Brownsnake (lifer)
Northern Ringneck Snake (lifer)
Northern Black Racer
Northern Watersnake

Frogs
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Fowler's Toad
American Toad
Green Treefrog
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Wood Frog
Uplands Chorus Frog (tadpole only, lifer)
New Jersey Chorus Frog (tadpole only, lifer)

Salamanders
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
Northern Two-lined Salamander (lifer)
Marbled Salamander (lifer)
Spotted Salamander (lifer)
Northern Dusky Salamander (lifer)
Tamara D. McConnell
Posts: 2248
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

So much cool stuff! I especially like your turtle photos. The picture of your son with the box turtle is adorable. I also really like the spotted salamander photos. I've never found one.
NACairns
Posts: 372
Joined: December 30th, 2013, 7:27 am

Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by NACairns »

Great stuff, I love your commitment to getting those tadpoles. The Pseudacris kalmi is a handsome looking critter, the dappling on the tail musculature is really interesting. What type of habitat did you find it in? My kid was pretty jealous of your son's box turtle (and kick ass excavator shirt). Keep those photos coming.
Best,
Nick
User avatar
mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by mtratcliffe »

Tamara D. McConnell wrote:So much cool stuff! I especially like your turtle photos. The picture of your son with the box turtle is adorable. I also really like the spotted salamander photos. I've never found one.
Thanks Tamara! That photo of him is one of my favorite. Good luck with finding a Spotted - now is the time of year to find one in your part of the country. Get to flipping! :)
Great stuff, I love your commitment to getting those tadpoles. The Pseudacris kalmi is a handsome looking critter, the dappling on the tail musculature is really interesting. What type of habitat did you find it in? My kid was pretty jealous of your son's box turtle (and kick ass excavator shirt). Keep those photos coming.
Best,
Nick
Thanks Nick. I can't wait for Spring to come around so I can find more an no-kidding finalize some of the IDs. The tadpoles which I think are P. kalmi were found in a tire rut adjacent to a road. The nearby habitat was a tree orchard. I've heard H. chrysoscelis calling from similar ditches nearby, but these were obviously not from that species. If I'm back that way this Spring and it rains, I'll check it out again.

Thanks for the comments on the shirt :) . Has your kid found a box turtle yet?
NACairns
Posts: 372
Joined: December 30th, 2013, 7:27 am

Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by NACairns »

I look forward to confirmation, certainly looks like a Pseudacris but not one I know off hand. What are you using to ID? I'm working on a couple of photo rigs to do live mounts for dorsal and lateral morphometrics. I'll make a little post, I'd love to get input from you and other tadpole hunters.
Couldn't not make the comment, I was scrolling through your post and my son stopped me (pretty normal for turtles and snakes) and mentioned the turtle and the shirt. What is on people's shirts seems very important to him; best two options are dinosaurs of trucks. I have been informed that excavators are trucks and that is a "good" shirt. He hasn't seen a box turtle yet, we haven't traveled into their range since he's been old enough to appreciate them. Living in western Canada his options are limited.
Best,
Nick
User avatar
Noah M
Posts: 2293
Joined: November 3rd, 2012, 7:00 pm
Location: Gainesville, FL
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Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by Noah M »

I like the spotted best too in aprt because like Tamara, I haven't seen one either. I don't think they're in Florida, so I'll have to do some traveling to get one.
User avatar
mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by mtratcliffe »

Noah M wrote:I like the spotted best too in aprt because like Tamara, I haven't seen one either. I don't think they're in Florida, so I'll have to do some traveling to get one.
The time to go north and fine one is here!
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dwakefield
Posts: 122
Joined: February 18th, 2015, 11:11 am
Location: Deerfield Beach, Florida
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Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by dwakefield »

Love all the sallies, especially the spotteds!
User avatar
mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Re: Year in Review - Part Two

Post by mtratcliffe »

dwakefield wrote:Love all the sallies, especially the spotteds!
Thanks Daniel! Have you ever found Spotteds before?
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