Toads, meetings and life
Mood:  sad
Topic: Out in the Field
Sorry I haven't posted any field posts in a bit, life is crazy as usual. I have been to two terrific meetings recently. The CIFW meeting had Dr. Mike Finkler from IU Kokomo last Wednesday talking about Ambystomatid Salamander Reproduction, and how his physiological research works with it. It was very interesting, the Ambystomatids are my favorites and we had a good turnout for the meeting. We are really starting to feel like a group, it really makes all the work seem worth it. After the meeting we went to the pond nearest the Nature Center at Camp Cullom and checked the traps I had set the day before. Two bullfrog tadpoles, not the salamanders we hoped for. However Dr, Finkler did spot a tiger salamander (would that make it a spotted sally? LOL) about 10 feet out in the pond. We also saw a spring peeper and a northern leopard frog. Only Peepers were calling though, but I also heard american toads the night before when I placed the traps. We stopped the night before at a few places and also heard chorus frogs. This Wed we went to the HHS meeting at Butler and heard Elliot Stahl talk about the herps he has encountered in caves, vertical mostly. He has some great pictures and stories about not just hoosier caves, but also in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. Many amphibians, several I would have never expected to be found in caves. Many of these pits had very small openings on the surface, then opened up to huge underground caves. I will think twice before just barreling through the rocks in karst country! My little cement pond at the abandoned fertilizer plant is finally coming to life. I have been hearing toads for a week or so and last night I saw the first female. There were many males attempting to amplex with anything that moved, including my Furmont Stump Ripper (snake hook/field hook/walking stick/decoy female toad). The one pair fought off many attemps to knock off the male. I went by this afternoon and only saw the amplexed pair, and they were laying eggs. (well, she was laying, he was fertilizing) My Grandmother left today to move out of state in with my Aunt and Uncle. We have been over there a lot the last few weeks and I didn't think it would be this hard today. The toads cheered me up a bit and I did some bird watching in the yard. Many species I saw for the first time this year. Finches, hummingbirds, cow birds, house wrens, chipping sparrows, white crowned sparrows, I'm sure they have been here for a little bit, but its nice to just stop and enjoy whats around you rather than staying busy the whole time. Its hard to do this time of year with so much to do, but its nice to stop and smell the...daffodils this tie of year. I hope you have had a chance to get out and take in some of the awe of whats all around us.