Amphibians still moving in the valley
Herpers,
one of the big advantages of the recent time change is that you can get out and do a nighttime road search before dinner :). I have not heard from anyone else who got out last night, but I took a quick run over to the Morgan Road Crossing in Salisbury. I took a single pass through the crossing area between 6 and 6:15 PM. Temperatures were well above freezing (44°F) and it had been raining lightly for a few hours. This may seem cold now, but remember that amphibians were moving under the same conditions this spring, and at that time it seemed warm. I only counted amphibians on one way through the crossing area, not on the way back. It was another big night, at least for two species that are still heading up hill to overwintering locations.
I counted:
- 45 Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (all alive, almost all adults)
- 11 Four-toed Salamanders (all alive, all adult)
- 4 Blue-spotted Salamander group
- 1 Wood Frog
61 Total
As I have mentioned before, I suspect that crossing areas in the mountains that primarily have Spotted Salamanders and Wood Frogs, would not have much activity this late in the season, but let me know if that is not the case.
By next Monday the forecasted daytime highs are for temperatures in the 60’s. It will be interesting to see if people start seeing some snake movement again. I certainly expect to see some more amphibian movement when the next warm rains arrive after that warm spell.
Jim
