Amphibian Night (25-Feb-2017)

With the temperatures as high as they were and rains coming in, I knew there would be amphibians coming out somewhere in Eastern PA. I arranged an outing with friends Andrew Curtis, Paul Guris and Tyler Sacks to go out looking for the first amphibians of the year around their area. I live too far north and I knew in my area it would still be some time before amphibians were out. To my surprise when we turned onto the road nearing our destination there were signs with lights flashing stating that volunteers were moving amphibians across the roads. Then when we got to the parking lot there were about thirty or so students with teachers and other adults in crossing guard uniforms. It was the biggest crew I had ever seen to move the little critters across. During rain events in spring several species like the Wood Frog above make there way to temporary pools to breed. These pools fill with water in the winter and spring and generally dry up by the end of summer. This means they lack certain predators like fish, giving amphibians a safer alternative to lay their eggs in. On their annual journey to these ponds many amphibians have to cross roads and on some nights there can be high mortality rates. Volunteers moving them across help lower the number of mortality due to traffic and help to preserve these species into the future.   

Since there were so many volunteers we did not spend any time on the roads and instead went to check out the pools. By this point the rain had stopped and there was not much activity. A few Wood Frogs had made it to the pools, but were not in the numbers I had hoped. 

This photo was taken in an artificial pond before we headed out. It is a Green Frog and it seemed a bit early for them to be out. We did not find any at the pools that we visited. 

On the way to the pools we did see some Spring Peepers on the trail and on rocks on the trailside. They were just making there way to the pools and none were yet calling. 

We only found two Spotted Salamanders. On a good night they would be seen in the hundreds at this location. Both were males and the lack of amphibians in general told us that it was still a bit too early for them moving in large numbers. The volunteers must have found the same thing on the roads, all the cars were gone by the time we got back to the parking lot. 

I did remove some trash from the trail and from the pools themselves. Trash items like bottles and cans, can potentially trap and lead to the death of certain amphibians. If you see trash in a waterway, please help out and remove it.

See my most updated posts on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

State Gamelands (1-Apr-2016)

Today was another day of stream study site searching. I think Kelly has close to enough options to choose form for her study now. Out of several stops on this trip only one site was suitable. Above is a Two-Lined Salamander on the left and two Northern Dusky Salamanders on the right. This is how they were positioned under a rock. I would like to point out that there is a proper procedure for what to do when a salamander is found under a rock or log. The first thing to do is to wet your free hand, the other may be holding the cover object. With your now wet hand encourage the salamander to move from the area the rock covered. If the salamander does not move on its own then it can be picked up and moved. It is best to keep the in hand time as short as possible. Once all salamanders are removed from under the cover object, place the cover object back right where it was. The salamanders will find their way back under and with them moved there is no chance of crushing them. It can take a long time for suitable habitat to form underneath a rock or log. If you go through a stream or forested area flipping objects and not putting them back you are destroying the habitat for salamanders and the smaller critters they feed on. Respect the wildlife and respect their homes. 

A juvenile Spring Salamander. As I stated yesterday these are not that common of a salamander to find.

This is another type of Caddisfly Larvae case. This one is made out of pebbles and specifically flat sided pebbles. It is very unique and a very impressive home. 

The other days searching for sites we hadn't run into many frogs. On this one we found many Pickerel Frogs like the one above and one Green Frog. 

A very old bottle. It is labeled Joe Lieberman Allentown PA. After doing some searching I think it is a beer bottle and is possibly from the very end of the 18th century. I could not find any other bottles exactly like it through online searches so this may be rare. 

An American Toad that was hopping through a forested area. The frogs and this toad were not what we were looking for, but it is always nice to see any species of amphibian. 

From the first location. Not that much trash, but really there shouldn't have been any where we were. Well there should never be any trash, but there always is. 

From the second location. The flask on the left standing upright was another old one. It was labeled Warranted Flask. Not sure what it is warranted for. 

From the last location. No old bottles in this pile, but there was a glass. 

Today we also came across the first turtle I have seen on a road this year. Here Kelly is holding it proudly. It was a male Painted Turtle and we gave him a little help. If you ever find a turtle on the road the best thing to do is to move it off of the road and take it about thirty feet off of the side. Always take them in the direction they are heading. It is never good to take a turtle home as a pet and you are not saving it when you drive off with it. Several species that commonly cross roads in PA are protected species and taking them home is unlawful. It really is best just to help them across and let them go on their way. 

Tomorrow I will be back to my regular trash collecting. I may get out on the water to get to some locations that haven't been easy on foot. 

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this blog? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

State Gamelands (25-Mar-2016)

Tried again today to help Kelly find some sites that would work for her study. At this site I arrived early and was able to do a thorough job of cleaning up around the parking area. This was another site I had cleaned up last year. Too many people find it acceptable to litter in gamelands parking areas. I am glad that the Game Commission is now utilizing game cameras to catch illegal dumpers and is having success with it. Some day I really hope to pull into them on a regular basis and not have to pick up other peoples junk. This lot had a lot of stuff and a lot of non-recyclables I could not take with me. I do apologize for the lack of landscape photos in this post, but in leaving them out I am trying to protect the potential study areas and the species that live at these specific sites. 

Too much trash and this is just one gamelands parking area. 

When Kelly arrived I packed up the trash and headed to scope out the stream. We had success right away, the stream looked suitable and Kelly found one species she needed to see right away. It is above and is a Two-Lined Salamander. They are a common stream, river and wetland dweller. 

Not long after the Two-Lined, Kelly found this Spring Salamander. This was another species she needed to see to make a determination if this site would be a possible contender in the ones she chooses for the project. It was a very good sign. 

At the second site of the day I noticed this sign and I think it is something that everyone that goes on PA State Gamelands should read. 

The stream at this site was too large for the study. We did find a couple common species along it, both amphibian and insect, but it wasn't anything I haven't posted before. I thought the placement of the beaver lodge above was a little odd. Whatever works for the beavers. 

Collected this from the second site along the trails and around the parking area. 

When we finished scoping out the second site I suggested we check out another area near by. I knew it wasn't suitable for the study, but we could still look for reptiles and amphibians and I could pick up a few more pieces of trash. The calls of Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs directed us to this large pond at the site. 

No Spring Peepers or Wood Frogs could be seen, but adult Red-Spotted Newts were found in abundance swimming around the pond. 

A couple Redback Salamanders were found around the edges. 

This was the small pile from the last stop of the day. In all this trip was much more productive than yesterday. I would also like to mention that if you do go out looking for reptiles and amphibians, you need a fishing license if you are over 16 years of age and there are strict regulations regarding these creatures. You should familiarize yourself with these regulations before going out.

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this blog? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Amphibians on the Move (24-Feb-2016)

Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)

Last night I was sure the heavy rains and warmer temperatures would have some of our native amphibians on the move. There were not many, but I did find a couple species. So, where are they going and why are they out? The two frog species you will see in this post are spring breeders. Both emerge from their overwintering spots and make their way to vernal pools or other wetland areas. Vernal pools are depressions that fill with snow in the winter, rain in the spring and only retain water for a limited time. Since the pools do dry up they offer a safer alternative for egg laying and larval survival for amphibians. The reason being the lack of predators such as fish, which could quickly consume both adult and larval stage amphibians. 

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

If the warm temperatures return, soon the sounds of both Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers will echo from their wetland breeding areas. With both of these species it is generally the males who make it to the pools first and they will be the ones making the vocalizations you may hear. 

Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)

Keep these little critters in mind at this time of year. Especially when it rains. They can be traveling a good distance to get to their breeding sites and many times there are roads in the way. Amphibians don't fair too well against a car and there are many casualties as they try to cross. Help them out by trying to avoid them, because they do not have a chance at getting out of your way in time.

Of course there was trash when I was slogging through the woods. I picked up a handful of items, the areas I went to were fairly clean.

There are very strict laws regarding amphibians in Pennsylvania. Before you go out on a slogging adventure yourself, you should make sure to know the rules and regulations. If you are over 16 you should have a fishing license on you, even if you are just going out to observe them.

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this blog? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Bake Oven Knob (2-Oct-2015)

When I woke up this morning, I once again thought about hitting the Schuylkill. A light drizzle that started falling ended any idea of that. I haven't been back to Bake Oven Knob since I started this project at the beginning of the summer. This also gave me the opportunity to get some photos I needed of another site that was on the way. Driving out I found that I definitely made the right decision as the rain was coming down steadily at times.

No surprise the parking lot had bottles and cans strewn along the edges. The good thing was this was the biggest pile and the lot took no time at all to clear. I have pointed out before that I am not alone in cleaning up the trail to the knob. I have met several individuals that do so. It is cleaned often, but because of the amount of people that go to this site it is always a problem. The Game Commission does patrol this area more often as of last year, yet it seems the amount of trash has not diminished. I would like to once again thank those others who help to keep this area clean and the Game Commission for trying their best to eliminate the problem.

Penny was very eager to get to the Knob. Not sure why, she was really pulling me along.

I never did get to see what it looked like with no graffiti at the top. The Game Commission did organize an event and did cover all of the tagging that had accumulated over the years. I had wanted to go up and see the site after they were done, but I just did not have time. Now more people have once again painted in bright colors their names and messages. Anyone who sees this should be mad. Like the rivers this is our shared resource and should be left in a natural state for everyone to enjoy.

If by chance you read this blog and know the individuals who did this, please contact the Game Commission.

The view from the Knob. Even on a dreary day it is still spectacular. 

Out on the Knob I met Kenny Fowler. He currently works for the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and spends up to ten hours a day at the Knob identifying and counting migrating birds that fly by. There are multiple locations where daily counts like this take place along the Appalachian range. The information that is collected is very important to avian research. This data is collected and compiled every year. Not only can it show how many individuals are using this flyway each year, but also the trends of the annual migrations, the time of day birds/species are flying and any correlations to weather and flight patterns. If you go to Bake Oven Knob in the near future and you too meet Mr. Fowler, thank him for the work he is doing. It is important and after seeing him out there in the cold rain I know he is dedicated to it.

These tiny bird dots were identified by Mr. Fowler as Sharp-Shinned Hawks. They were the only bird activity while I was out on the Knob.

This fungus was shining bright on this dreary gray day. I think this may be the same species I photographed the other day, just a larger specimen.

A good distance off of the main trail, no other trash was around it and I am surprised I was even able to see it.

It may look like Penny is sniffing out trash, she is not, there just happened to be a piece of trash around where she was sniffing.

This site is just past Bake Oven Knob and I had only been there a couple times before. With the amount of beer cans and bottles this seems to be another popular party site. It is not easy to get to, the terrain is not easy to traverse and I can't imagine why anyone would decide to get drunk here.

Another area where people associate crevices with trash cans. I would like to point out they are not the same thing. Trash cans help get trash to either a recycling center or landfill, putting your trash in a crevice fills a potential dwelling of another creature and just isn't cool. The photo on the left is what I first saw when I crawled into this small space. The photo on the right is all of the trash I pulled out of the smaller crevices tucked away in the back of this space. All trash was removed except for the broken glass.

A Wood Frog that was crossing the trail on my way out. Always be mindful of the tiny creatures, you never know when one will cross your path. 

Before going to Bake Oven Knob I did stop at one other site. I was hopping to find another species for photos, but instead I found a Slimy Salamander. To me it was just as good, but not what I needed. It is always best when you find a salamander under a rock to move it before putting the rock back in place. If you go to move a Slimy with your bare hand you may get a surprise. They secrete a sticky substance and this substance will be deposited on your hand. Generally all a Slimy needs to move out of the way is a slight nudge on the tail. 

If you would like to continue to see the trash being taken out and the posts to keep coming on this blog through 2016 you can make a contribution at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash