Plum Island April 25, 2018

Spadefoot toad amplexus (the mating position of frogs and toads, in which the male clasps the female about the back)

After spending a few hours the night of April 22 looking for spadefoot toads without any luck I returned along with a biologist friend John Berkholtz to survey the island a few days later on April 25. The difference this time was steady rain throughout the day/night along with 50 degree temperatures through the night.

After driving for a few minutes down the one and only road around 8:45pm we found a spadefoot toad on the road within a few minutes!

Spadefoot toad

waterproof field notebook with ruler.

We then continued on down the road and found more toads scattered throughout the road so we had to drive very carefully as to not run any over. 

Next we went to another site and heard an individual spadefoot calling from a vernal pool. We searched and eventually saw the toad in the water.

Next we continued on to listen for activity from other pools scattered along the 7 mile stretch of road. Along the way we saw more American toads as well as a Fowler's toad (Anaxyrus fowleri).

American toad

Fowler's toad

 Along the way we found another spadefoot toad sitting in the road.

Next we went to a site along one of the boardwalks to a pool where we heard chorusing spadefoots last year and decided to investigate closer this year. We walked to the end of the boardwalk and heard spadefoot toads chorusing in the distance. From the google maps aerial photo we assumed they were calling from a large open canopy pool near the trail in the direction of the chorusing but when we arrived the chorusing sound was beyond that pool in a shallower closed canopy forested pool in great abundance chorusing like crazy! At this site there were dozens of individuals calling and in about 30 minutes of watching and listening we saw about 5 pair of toads in amplexus getting ready to create the next generation of toads!

It was a bit chaotic but I managed to get a bit of audio/video of toads chorusing as you can see here:




We hit the jackpot visiting this site at this exact time. Next we continued to the end of the island all the was to Sandy Point State Reservation and didn't hear chorusing from any other site. At this point it was almost 11PM with an hour drive home so we called it a night and headed home.

We finished the night with some new data points on spadefoot toad breeding sites as well as a new Fowler's toad record.

Plum Island April 23, 2018

4/23/18 9-11PM  45 degrees F

I went out to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for the first time this year to look for spadefoot toads hoping that the warm weather throughout the day would have triggered a breeding event since we got a good amount of rain a week earlier that filled some of the interdunal swale vernal pools. I didn't have any luck finding any spadefoot toads but American toads were in the full swing of the breeding season.



Later in the night I visited another pool and observed some fairy shrimp in a pool with chorusing Northern leopard frogs.

Northern leopard frog

Fairy shrimp swimming in vernal pool:

Dracut vernal pool survey April 12, 2018

I visited a vernal pool in the woods near my parents house that was the first vernal pool I certified for a college project and one that I rode my bike or hiked past countless times as a kid. It has been years since I last surveyed the pool and thought it was time to take another look around and see what I could find during this years' amphibian mating season.

On April 1 of this year I visited this pool during the day and saw only one wood frog egg mass walking along the edge of the pool looking for egg masses attached to branches underwater. I knew that this pool had abundant amphibian breeding activity in the past so I made a plan to visit the site again.  

On April 12, 2018 I hiked out to the pool around 7:30 when there was a light drizzle, by the time I got to the site after a short 5 minute walk the rain had picked up and was coming down pretty strong. When I arrived at the pool there was a loud spring peeper chorus and after 20 minutes of looking around the pool a group of wood frogs began chorusing.

Wood frog

Audio of spring peeper (high pitch) and wood frog (low 'quacking') chorusing in a forested vernal pool.

As I walked around the pool I found a few dozen spotted salamander egg masses as well as a few wood frog egg masses scattered throughout the edge of the pool attached to submerged branches about 1-2 feet below the water surface. 

As I continued to search the pool in the rain wearing a pair of chest waders (where I was knee deep in water in one leg) I was able to locate two adult spotted salamanders swimming in the vernal pool. I managed to catch and photograph one to share here on this blog.