February Findings

When the sun comes out and the daily high is 14 or 15C for two days in a row, animals start to come up to enjoy the warmth, despite what month it is.

And that's just what happened on February 27th and 28th. I had some free time and the weather was perfect, so I went out to a new location I had heard great things about to go for a hike, enjoy the warm sun, and hopefully see some reptiles and amphibians.

I was not disappointed. Unfortunately, the first animal I came across was a deceased Thamnophis sirtalis (Eastern Gartersnake) that appeared to have frozen to death at the base of a tree.

Thamophis sirtalis - Eastern Gartersnake. February 27th.

But all of the animals to follow were very much alive, even though they were cold and lethargic.

I managed to find my first Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamanders) of the year. And at the same time found my first Hemidactylium scutatum (Four-toed Salamander) of the year, which also marks my first Four-toed Salamander I had seen in extreme Southern Ontario.

Hemidactylium scutatum - Four-toed Salamander. Feb 27th.

Not long after this I pointed my flashlight into the shallow waters of a mostly frozen vernal pool and saw many tadpoles swimming away in the water. This caught my attention and had me start walking along the edges of the pool watching all of the tadpoles and looking for anything else that may be in there. Which is precisely when and why I almost stepped on this large adult female Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog).

Lithobates catesbeianus - American Bullfrog. Feb 27th.

She was extremely lethargic from the colder temperatures of nightfall. This made me able to take a wonderful portrait shot of her without causing any disturbance.

Lithobates catesbeianus - American Bullfrog. Feb 27th.

The day had been a big success with observations of several salamanders, tadpoles, the bullfrog and overall enjoyment of the warm weather. However, I still hadn't seen a live reptile so I decided to return the next day.

With temperatures even higher than previously I was able to find my first snake of 2018. An adult Thamnophis s. sauritus (Eastern Ribbonsnake) that was out basking on a log just off of the trail.

Thamnophis sauritus - Eastern Ribbonsnake. Feb 28th.

Ribbonsnakes are one of my favourite species of snake in the province so seeing this individual was a real treat to starting out 2018.

She remained there peacefully absorbing the suns rays, with a watchful eye on me as I inched closer to take this profile shot.

Thamnophis sauritus - Eastern Ribbonsnake. Feb 28th.

After that I surprisingly only found a few more Eastern Red-backed Salamanders during the day. But at night, I traveled just outside of Ontario and into Michigan with Taylor Kennedy to meet up with a friend, Nick Scobel, in search for Ambystoma tigrinum (Easern Tiger Salamanders). A species that was potentially once present in Ontario but are now considered extirpated.

We ended up seeing 12 individuals. Pictured here is the 'prettiest' male in the first photograph and a young female ovipositing eggs onto the stem of a leaf in the second.

Ambystoma tigrinum - Eastern Tiger Salamander. Feb 28th.

Ambystoma tigrinum - Eastern Tiger Salamander. Feb 28th.

We also saw a Blue-spotted Salamander, a Spring Peeper, a Wood Frog, and a few endangered Small-mouthed Salamanders. However, I only took pictures of one of the Small-mouthed Salamanders and not any of the other species. And even the picture I did take didn't turn out very well.

Ambystoma texanum - Small-mouthed Salamander. Feb 28th.

This marks probably the best February I have ever had in terms of seeing reptiles and amphibians up here in Ontario and I'm excited to see and share what the end of March has in store for us after the cold weather subsides.

Until then,

R.W.