Species Number 2!

Well I may be off to a slow start, but I have now photographed two species!  Only forty-something to go :).

I went slogging for peepers the other day, and despite hearing many was not able to nail one down for a photo.  Here's the habitat I was wading through:

Frog Habitat

Wading thigh-deep at this time of year is chilly business!  I wasn't the only one who was cold though.  I came upon a number of Wood Frogs, and hardly recognized them at first!  At this temperature their skin becomes very dark, apparently to aid in thermoregulation (dark things warm up faster!).

Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)

I didn't notice until editing this photo that the poor guy is falling victim to a mosquito!  Even the frogs aren't safe.

I also stumbled across an egg mass (of which there will soon be many!).  Not sure on the species (I guess I don't know my egg masses), so I can only narrow it down to the 4 that were present in the pond - Wood, Leopard, Chorus and Peeper.

Egg Mass

Gotta love that underwater point-and-shoot!  Anyway, that's all for now.  More soon!

Kyle

It Begins... (finally)

Well, with a slight increase in the temperature, I decided to try my luck at frogs the other day (Friday).  Sadly, the frogs were mostly quiet.  I did hear a few Chorus Frogs calling intermittently, but was unable to track them down.  Just as I was starting to head back to my car in disappointment, I turned up a very unexpected critter!

Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)

Four-toeds are a reasonably uncommon and hard-to-find species throughout Ontario, so it's a nice one to nail down early in the season.  Although he looks like the more-common Redback Salamander, the constriction at the base of his tail and his spotty belly (see below) give him away.

Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)

They're not exactly award-winners, but photos nonetheless!  I'm hoping this means the drought has ended, and there will be many more photos to follow.

Check back soon!
Kyle

What's going on???

Remember when it was spring?  That was a good day...

Kyle

The herps are out!

Well they're here, though sadly I have no photos to show.  Nonetheless my 'observed' list is up to 4 species - Spring Peeper, Western Chorus Frog, Wood Frog and Northern Leopard Frog.  I have made two attempts at photography thus far, and somehow picked the only two days on which the frogs weren't calling.  I'm talented like that.

Photos soon!
Kyle

Spider

So I was looking for something to post, since I haven't had the camera out for far too long, and I came upon this photo from Cuba that I had forgotten about.  It was actually just a quick grab with the point-and-shoot, but it is the subject matter that makes the photo interesting.  This spider appears to be carrying her young on her back!  I've never seen this behaviour in spiders before, though it is certainly common in scorpions.

Pretty cool stuff!

Kyle

Patience...

Sadly I have none!  After a teaser of spring, winter seems to be dragging out forever!  I thought we were only days from the first frog calling, then we got 6 inches of snow.  I am downhearted.

Nevertheless I remain optimistic.  This week should see the temperatures rise and the snow melt, and perhaps the amphibians will grace us with their presence.  One can only hope.

Deep breaths....
Kyle

It always gets worse before it gets better...

Hello!

Just a quick note to let you know I'm still here!  I haven't been posting much these days, mostly because there's little to post about.  This has got to be the worst time of year for nature photography in Ontario - it's all mud and slop and ugly.  And to top it all off, I've got a wicked cold.  Ever the optimist...

There is hope on the horizon though.  Spring is almost here.  Think of the happier times...the sunnier times...the springier times.  Here's a butterfly:

Don't you feel happier?  Keep those spirits up and we'll be knee-deep in frogs before you know it!

I should mention that I'm underslept and possibly delirious with fever...

Kyle