Amphibian Monitoring 2013

We started another season of monitoring for amphibians at two wetland mitigation areas in the county. We started in mid-February and have discovered some exciting things. Unfortunately I am unable to get decent photos of what we're finding. We are continuing to monitor the 156th Lund's Gulch site and have added the Ash Way site. The site on 180th was not a mitigation area and is on private property so we can no longer monitor it. The County construction on the road project is complete.

The Ash Way site has had a diversity of amphibians- northern red-legged frog, long-toed salamander, and northwestern salamander egg masses. This is a pond engulfed by doghair alder and willows; some planted, some volunteers. There is a small stream that feeds into the wetland pond and continues on, eventually emptying into Swamp Creek. We've observed tadpoles feeding at a submerged log and stick. We surmise that they are feeding on algae. We have found only 2 northwestern salamander egg masses since beginning this year. The pond is primarily red-legged frog territory with long-toed salamanders a close second. Today was red legged frog tadpoles, a larval salamander, and a northwestern salamander egg mass. The northwestern is a late egg layer so we should get to see their juveniles next month.

The Lund's Gulch site has been quite rewarding for us. Last year we only found rough-skinned newt egg masses and 1 larval newt. This year we have found diversity! We have found lots of long-toed salamander egg masses and today 3 juveniles. We also found a tadpole last month but have found no frog egg masses. We believe this is a pacific chorus tree frog and we must have missed an egg mass. The frogs primarily live in wetlands nearby in the adjacent forested areas. The vegetation has matured and there are several large western hemlock limbs with branches attached, including needles providing many more places to place an egg mass. Many egg masses were also laid on the layers of leaves in the bottom of the shallow pond. The unfortunate piece of this site is the large development going in adjacent to our little mitigation area. It was very difficult to listen to the devastation going on nearby as every stick of vegetation, including the large alders were knocked down with no thought for the nesting birds in them, the coyotes that live in the area, and the need for uplands to shelter the amphibians living in the wetlands all around.