Herp Update: news, upcoming migration, skink, snakes — April 13, 2022
Herps in the News
Herpers, on the first of our two public educational events at the Morgan Road amphibian crossing here in Salisbury, we had two VPR reporters in attendance. Their coverage went online today. It is a nice piece that starts with us at Morgan Road and then goes on to discuss some of the larger issues. You can listen to it and check out the photos at:
Our Monkton amphibian underpasses also had a couple mentions on the NBC Today Show last week. The coverage is mainly about a needed Mountain Lion crossing in California, but mentions our amphibian crossings a couple times. You can listen to that report at:
Upcoming Migration Activity
Although many amphibians have already moved and Spring Peepers, Wood Frogs, and Northern Leopard Frogs are now calling from their breeding areas here in the Lake Champlain Basin, there is more migration (both downhill and back uphill) still to come. In some of the higher elevation and more northerly locations, it has just begun. For some areas in Vermont, tomorrow (Thursday) night looks like it may be a good night to see migration once again (warm and wet).
New Species Reports
We now can add Common Five-lined Skink (Rick A), Common Watersnake (George L) and DeKay’s Brownsnake (Sue W, and Kris & Birch A) to the herp species reported so far this spring. I will attach a photo of a young Vermont skink. It is Vermont’s only native lizard species.
Jim
