As I sit here freezing my @$$ off (it's 4° outside) in PA I can't help thinking about all the Salamandering I'm going to do as soon as weather permits. I knocked out quite a few of the common species last year in PA and WV. I thought I'd share some of my targets for this spring and invite others to share their own list of species they're planning on searching for.
1. Werhle's Salamander (I thought this one would be easy but it's managed to evade me thus far).
2. Ravine Salamander ( again this one has managed to evade me. I've targeted them the same way I would slimy salamanders.
3. Valley and Ridge salamander ( same as ravine. Should I be hunting in different habitats than slimy for these?)
4. Black belly Salamander ( shouldn't be too hard I just need to get far enough south to get into their range.)
That's my list of targets for 2015. Nothing too exciting but all will be lifers. Would be interesting to see everyone else's if for no other reason than to pass a little time one this cold @$$ day.
-Thomas
2015 Hopes and Dreams.
Moderator: Scott Waters
- bushmaster W30
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- The Jake-Man
- Posts: 224
- Joined: June 25th, 2012, 4:08 pm
- Location: Lebanon Pennsylvania
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
I've only ever found wehrle's sals in a handful of places in Potter and Cameron counties, and most of them were just pure luck. Relatively dry, forested slopes with lots of shale are the only natural habitat I've found them in. Apart from black-bellies, I've never found any of your other goals, so I dont have any useful advice for them.
My goals this year are-
1. Brown snake- I am ashamed that I've found ribbon snakes, a hellbender, and mountain earth snakes, yet I've never been able to find a brown snake...
2. Hognose- I'm in their habitat in PA a lot, but I've never run into one yet.
3. Smooth green snake- My home county (Lebanon) is right at the edge of their range. I might make a trip Northeast to try to target them some time this year.
My goals this year are-
1. Brown snake- I am ashamed that I've found ribbon snakes, a hellbender, and mountain earth snakes, yet I've never been able to find a brown snake...
2. Hognose- I'm in their habitat in PA a lot, but I've never run into one yet.
3. Smooth green snake- My home county (Lebanon) is right at the edge of their range. I might make a trip Northeast to try to target them some time this year.
- NewYorkHerper16
- Posts: 140
- Joined: August 13th, 2014, 7:50 am
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
Good thread! It will definitely be interesting to see what everybody's goals are!
I have a ridiculous amount of goals, but my top 5 would be:
1. Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog (L. kauffeldi)- these actually shouldn't be too difficult Southeast NY and Northern NJ.
2. Black Rat Snake- i cant believe i haven't found one yet, it's pretty embarrassing to tell people i'm a herper when i haven't found one of these yet!
3. Northern Copperhead- doubtful that i'll find one, but i can dream!
4. Any Desmognathus- maybe the one thing more embarrassing then not finding a black rat snake! Lol. I don't know how i've missed these, I've been flipping rocks in mountain creeks since i could walk.
5. Eastern Tiger Salamander- i know of two localities where these are known to breed on Long Island in fairly strong numbers. I think the only difficulty with this one will be estimating the right night to search. Breeding season occurs as early as February here!
I have a ridiculous amount of goals, but my top 5 would be:
1. Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog (L. kauffeldi)- these actually shouldn't be too difficult Southeast NY and Northern NJ.
2. Black Rat Snake- i cant believe i haven't found one yet, it's pretty embarrassing to tell people i'm a herper when i haven't found one of these yet!
3. Northern Copperhead- doubtful that i'll find one, but i can dream!
4. Any Desmognathus- maybe the one thing more embarrassing then not finding a black rat snake! Lol. I don't know how i've missed these, I've been flipping rocks in mountain creeks since i could walk.
5. Eastern Tiger Salamander- i know of two localities where these are known to breed on Long Island in fairly strong numbers. I think the only difficulty with this one will be estimating the right night to search. Breeding season occurs as early as February here!
- incuhead2000
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Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
1. Smooth Green Snake
2. Sidewinder
Yup...that's it. I'm not shooting too big this year.
2. Sidewinder
Yup...that's it. I'm not shooting too big this year.
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
1) video of chorusing Spadefoots
2) any life salamander
2) any life salamander
- axeman2729
- Posts: 445
- Joined: November 5th, 2012, 2:10 pm
- Location: Cranberry township, PA
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
Im gonna take the year off til I get outta basic and go to A school hope to find some EDBs and pygmys!
- intermedius
- Posts: 481
- Joined: March 22nd, 2012, 7:19 pm
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
I'd love to see more Milksnakes this year.
- ZantiMissKnit
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- Location: Boston area, MA
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
I'd love to see something besides snow soon.
- Kyle from Carolina
- Posts: 221
- Joined: May 3rd, 2012, 8:12 pm
- Location: western MA and NC
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
hmm. When I make the move to massachusetts this year, i'm hoping to hit it hard. Depends on when I get there to see if I will have time to do everything but here's the top of the list:
'phibs:
jeffersons and blue spotted sals
Four-toed sals
marbled sals (found some breeding sites this winter during my last visit, gonna revisit in March)
spadefoots (I know where to go but the timing will have to be good)
any mixed-species amplexus...these are always hilarious
tadpoles of peepers and treefrogs
I'd like to find a single locality that has all three (or more?) varieties of Plethodon cinereus
squamates:
any and all but would like to see as many pattern variants of eastern gartersnakes
any predation event, specifically watersnakes/gartersnakes eating fish (I once saw a watersnake eating a fish while getting pinched by a crawdad in NC, it was a highlight of a trip for sure)
that elusive rat snake that left a shed in the trail last summer...
And if I'm lucky, the hours of searching topo maps and google earth will have paid off and I'll see a timber, but probably gonna go south for that.
My overall goal is not to get tore up by poison ivy then trip and break my ankle and land on anything venomous in the backcountry.
'phibs:
jeffersons and blue spotted sals
Four-toed sals
marbled sals (found some breeding sites this winter during my last visit, gonna revisit in March)
spadefoots (I know where to go but the timing will have to be good)
any mixed-species amplexus...these are always hilarious
tadpoles of peepers and treefrogs
I'd like to find a single locality that has all three (or more?) varieties of Plethodon cinereus
squamates:
any and all but would like to see as many pattern variants of eastern gartersnakes
any predation event, specifically watersnakes/gartersnakes eating fish (I once saw a watersnake eating a fish while getting pinched by a crawdad in NC, it was a highlight of a trip for sure)
that elusive rat snake that left a shed in the trail last summer...
And if I'm lucky, the hours of searching topo maps and google earth will have paid off and I'll see a timber, but probably gonna go south for that.
My overall goal is not to get tore up by poison ivy then trip and break my ankle and land on anything venomous in the backcountry.
-
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- Joined: April 28th, 2013, 9:43 pm
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
Hmm. As far as the northeast goes.
1. Eastern Kingsnake
2. Mole Kingsnake
3. Rainbow Snake
4. Green Salamander
5. Hellbender
Of course there are lots of other critters I'd like to see, but these are the main ones. I don't have high hopes for a Maryland rainbow but I will try.
1. Eastern Kingsnake
2. Mole Kingsnake
3. Rainbow Snake
4. Green Salamander
5. Hellbender
Of course there are lots of other critters I'd like to see, but these are the main ones. I don't have high hopes for a Maryland rainbow but I will try.
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
Enjoy every day in the field like it's my first.
- ZantiMissKnit
- Posts: 1037
- Joined: September 14th, 2012, 9:43 am
- Location: Boston area, MA
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
These are some ideas that I have had bouncing around my head this winter:
- I'm intrigued with the idea of a kids' day. Geographically, it's impossible with our chapter, but perhaps a series of them could work? I know that Brian H. has done a couple of them in CA.
- I've been thinking, locally, of contacting a few of the "Friends of" groups for a couple of our parks, to present them with information on the herps of their respective parks, and perhaps seeing if they need a herp person on board. This could be good for educational walks, etc.
- Also, since the chapter is so huge, I'd love to try to establish a relationship with at least one person as the "go-to" person for each state in the chapter. Of course, that would mean weeding out who is trustworthy vs. not...
- Mike and I rejoined the New England Herp Society, which I hope will garner some interest in NAFHA and NAHERP. We made it to one meeting so far, and the February meeting got canceled due to -- guess what? -- snow, but hopefully we'll make it to March.
Andrea/NE Chapter President
- I'm intrigued with the idea of a kids' day. Geographically, it's impossible with our chapter, but perhaps a series of them could work? I know that Brian H. has done a couple of them in CA.
- I've been thinking, locally, of contacting a few of the "Friends of" groups for a couple of our parks, to present them with information on the herps of their respective parks, and perhaps seeing if they need a herp person on board. This could be good for educational walks, etc.
- Also, since the chapter is so huge, I'd love to try to establish a relationship with at least one person as the "go-to" person for each state in the chapter. Of course, that would mean weeding out who is trustworthy vs. not...
- Mike and I rejoined the New England Herp Society, which I hope will garner some interest in NAFHA and NAHERP. We made it to one meeting so far, and the February meeting got canceled due to -- guess what? -- snow, but hopefully we'll make it to March.
Andrea/NE Chapter President
- axeman2729
- Posts: 445
- Joined: November 5th, 2012, 2:10 pm
- Location: Cranberry township, PA
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
those are really good ideas Andrea! this is why your pres!ZantiMissKnit wrote:These are some ideas that I have had bouncing around my head this winter:
- I'm intrigued with the idea of a kids' day. Geographically, it's impossible with our chapter, but perhaps a series of them could work? I know that Brian H. has done a couple of them in CA.
- I've been thinking, locally, of contacting a few of the "Friends of" groups for a couple of our parks, to present them with information on the herps of their respective parks, and perhaps seeing if they need a herp person on board. This could be good for educational walks, etc.
- Also, since the chapter is so huge, I'd love to try to establish a relationship with at least one person as the "go-to" person for each state in the chapter. Of course, that would mean weeding out who is trustworthy vs. not...
- Mike and I rejoined the New England Herp Society, which I hope will garner some interest in NAFHA and NAHERP. We made it to one meeting so far, and the February meeting got canceled due to -- guess what? -- snow, but hopefully we'll make it to March.
Andrea/NE Chapter President
- ZantiMissKnit
- Posts: 1037
- Joined: September 14th, 2012, 9:43 am
- Location: Boston area, MA
Re: 2015 Hopes and Dreams.
Awwww, thanks, Garrett! It's been tough to stay motivated lately; the only herps I see are in cages at home!