I mean, I guess this LAST (please!!) covering of the cold white stuff was very pretty, but I'm ready to move on to other pretty things that SPRING has to offer : ) So to get a sneak peak, Chia and I headed down to the Southern half of the state, and left all of the snow and ice behind! Saturday was ridiculously warm! By the time we met my buddy South of the Columbus area, I was in short-sleeves and rolled up jeans. We went out to explore some vernal pools. Without boots, I got into the pools barefoot - yeah, I know, I've been called a hobbit before, it's ok.
sitting amongst calling wood frogs : )
Listening to a chorus of Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs never gets old. Especially after a long Winter. I haven't heard any in my neck of the woods yet, but like I said, I wanted to get a jump start on things further South. We had much luck that day, finding many Spotted Salamanders, as well as some Jefferson, Small-mouthed, and Redbacks. There were plenty of egg masses in the pool as well. Great spot. Here are some photos:
Jefferson Salamander (male)
Jefferson Salamander eggs
I love salamanders, but I love frogs even more. I used to have treefrogs as pets growing up. Raising tadpoles is always a great learning experience too (as a kid or anytime!) Anyway, I went on the challenging task to spot some of the hundred Spring Peepers that I was hearing. I got lucky. Once I located a male by his expanded throat pouch, I sat and watched, and I noticed more and more peepers around! They were everywhere! I must have spotted 10 or more within a 4-foot radius of where I was standing! This beautiful rusty colored male gave me a show:
Another highlight of the trip down South was my first snake(s) of 2011! Chia spotted them. Two garters right near the den. One slipped back into the den but I was able to photograph the other. He (or she) was a feisty fella who took a snap at me! He had some battle scars and was missing one eye, good luck to him this year!! I took a couple quick shots then we left him alone to enjoy the brief March sun.
Oh, and I guess since I went into a bit more than a "brief summary", I might as well finish by giving a quick list of the waterfowl species that we observed Sunday morning while heading back North through Columbus. We stopped at one of the Metroparks, Pickerington Ponds. This place had some nice wetlands along with great viewing areas and blind to observe!!! Species we tallied; Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, American Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal (my first!!), American Coot, Horned Grebes (molting and ugly for the moment), Gadwall, American Black Duck, Redhead, and of course, Mallards and Canada Geese. I don't think I forgot any...oh and we did hear and see an Eastern Meadowlark singing : )
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