Going Batty

International Bat Week, a global celebration of the world's most misunderstood mammal, fittingly comes to a close tomorrow on Halloween. To celebrate, let's take a trip down memory lane to that time five years ago when I helped with a bat colony count. It was late summer in 2017. I was just a few weeks away from leaving the Northwest and returning to my native Pennsylvania. I was invited to a pot luck for volunteers at Northwest Trek, a wildlife park in Eatonville, WA. I'd worked with them doing amphibian egg mass surveys for the state and nature mapping for Nisqually Land Trust. There was also a bat colony count happening that night, and I was asked if I would like to join. Of course I said yes. After white nose syndrome was detected in Washington, the state fish and wildlife service wanted to colony counts to establish a baseline population for monitoring purposes. Having worked on other conservation projects with Northwest Trek it was only natural that they would ask them to partner up again. And it was a no-brainer for me to get in on the action. After eating, we took an extended afterhours tram ride through the free roaming area to see the deer, elk, bison, moose, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep who don't know they're lving in captivity. There's nothing wrong with a little extra time hanging out with our animal friends. Afterwards, we returned to the park entrance. I was supposed to monitor the comings and goings at a bat box inside the park just inside the entrance. All I had to do was count how bats flew out and how many flew in, until I couldn't see anymore. Ins and outs, then subtract and the difference is my count. Very simple. But the bats had other plans for the night. Before we even got inside we could hear bats moving around inside the roof of the entrance. I never made it in. Instead, I stood outside the entrance counting bats. I watched as a little bat would drop down from the roof and gain altitude as it moved towards me. I only ducked once or twice. It was just instinct. I knew they wouldn't hit me. I figured with their echolocation they could tell where I was long before I saw them. I could hear theirs wings flapping and feel the breeze as they zipped past my head. At the end of the night, all the participants gathered to turn in their tally sheets. The counting station at the entrance, which wasn't on the list at the beginning, and was almost an afterthought, turned out to have the highest count of the night. I don't remember how many bats we counted collectively, or what my total was. It was a great night and I hope we collected important data. I'm forever thankful I was able to be a part of it.

Pond Life

Having spent three seasons doing amphibian egg mass surveys, I can tell you that there are two kinds of people: those who look at a pond from the outside and just see a pond, and those of us who have been in a pond and have seen little world contained within.

Northwest salamander egg mass

Just getting close to the pond changes your view of it. Driving by, you can easily define the shoreline. Walk up to the shoreline and you aren't so sure anymore when the ground gets softer and wetter.
The most obvious pond life is visible before you get to spongy edges. Ducks and geese are patrolling like an avian navy, while a great blue heron flies overhead. Lily pads dot the surface and the whole northern and eastern sides are cloaked in rushes and reeds. If you are still, you might hear the bullfrogs and Pacific tree frogs.

Pacific tree frog

Mallard duck

Put on your waders and step into another world. Look into the water and you'll see insects and their larvae on and below the surface: mosquitoes, craneflies, dobsonflies, and more. Tadpoles and the occasional small fish dart by. A squeak and a splash reveals a startled river otter. Attached to the plant life, you'll find frog, toad, salamander, and newt eggs. Some are below the surface, covered in algae. Some are on the surface, anchored to the stem of emergent vegetation.

Caddisfly larvae

Scoop up a water sample to look at under a microscope. In addition to the floating dirt and plant material, there are tiny shrimp-like critters a quarter inch long. Even tinier are the microscopic algae, protozoa, and bacteria.

Freshwater shrimp- either an isopod or a copepod

If it's a rainy day you won't see much below the surface, but the raindrops take on a totally different sound when they are falling all around you and only landing on more water.
I hope you enjoyed today's aquahike. Ponds are full of life, even if hidden in plain sight. It's a fragile ecosystem, so be kind to your local ponds.

Caution: beavers working

Salamanders and Newts

As promised, our species comparison series returns to the world of herps. A few weeks ago we looked at turtles, tortoises, and terrapins, which are all reptiles. This week we’ll explore the differences between salamanders and newts, which are both amphibians.

Before going into the differences between salamanders and newts, let’s have a look at the differences between reptiles and amphibians. Both are cold blooded and can spend time on land or in water. Reptiles, however, spend more time on land generally. They breathe exclusively with lungs (some turtles are the exception, because nature hates following a hard rule). Amphibians spend more time in the water, generally, and can breathe air on the surface or below water, using their smooth, moist skin to exchange gases in many cases. Reptiles have dry, scaly skin that doesn’t breathe. Reptiles lay soft eggs on land, while amphibians prefer to lay their eggs in the water, usually in a gelatinous mass.

Rough-skinned newt

 Just as tortoises and terrapins are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises or terrapins, all newts are salamanders but not all salamanders are newts. Newts are a type of salamanders that prefer to spend most of their time living on land. Some lay eggs in the water, some on land. Some go through stages of development from larva to adult, some are just miniature versions of adults. Some salamanders have lungs, some have gills, some have both, and some have neither. There is much variety in the salamander’s order, so spotting the differences between salamanders and newts is difficult. A general rule is to look at the skin. Frog-like skin, which is smooth and wet, is a salamander. Toad-like skin, dry and warty, is a newt.

Northwestern salamander (USFWS)

A third critter thrown into the mix, also a member of the salamander order, is the siren. It looks and behaves like the salamander and newt, but instead of having four legs it only has two. Sirens have flat tails that they use for swimming, moving it from side to side like a fish does.

Greater siren (University of Georgia)

Are you confused by all this? Don’t worry about. I’m learning right along with you. Fortunately for you, all these technical terms and differences are merely to satisfy your curiosity; for me it’s a career choice. We’ll wrap up this series next week and leave the natural world for the labs and halls of scholarly debate. This week’s information comes from the SanDiego Zoo.

Mr. Frog and Mr. Toad

Part 4 of a continuing series on differences in similar critters brings us the frog and the toad. If you’re new to the show, or have a bad memory, you’ll recall that last year (and the previous two seasons) I was slogging through a pond looking for eggs belonging to frogs and toads (as well as newts and salamanders). They are out laying their eggs as we speak, so this week’s is a timely topic even if it has nothing to do with egg laying.

Frogs and toads are both amphibians, meaning they can breathe on land or in the water, and have similar body shapes. So how can you be sure which critter you’re looking at? Here are a few differences to help you figure it out.

Frogs are generally more aquatic than toads, although there is variation of aquaticness among both frogs and toads. Frogs have smoother skin, a taller and narrower body, and buggier eyes. When moving on land, frogs are magnificent jumpers. The hind legs are long and powerful.

Bullfrog with smooth skin and bugeyes

Cascades frog- note the long legs

Toads are famous for their warty skin, which will not give you warts. The body is wider and flatter than a frog’s. Toads don’t jump much; rather they walk or take small hops. The hind legs are shorter than a frog’s. Their eyes aren’t nearly as bulging as a frog’s. A frog is more likely to be near water, while a frog feels more comfortable straying from the water.

Western toad with bumpy skin and squat little body

Wyoming toad- note the shorter legs and less bulgy eyes
(USFWS)

If you ever encounter one of these critters in the wild, or even just your back yard, hopefully this helps identify what you’re looking at. Info this week comes from Kidzone. Next week we take a break from comparing similar species but the series will resume in April.

Species of the Month

August’s Species of the Month is our first insect to be featured. A frequent sight during the summer is the differential grasshopper. There are many species of grasshopper around the world, this one is widespread through the US, although it is absent from some states. If you live in most of the US, odds are good that you’ve seen one. While we often think of them as a hopping insect (hence the name) they also fly. Here in Washington we don’t have the differential, but a large grasshopper here makes a clacking sound as it flies past. Along with crickets, the grasshopper is one of those critters I associate with the shortening days and cool nights as we begin transitioning into fall.

Adult differential grasshopper (from Bug Guide)

Scientific name: Melanoplus differentialis

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Insecta (insects)

Order: Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids)

Range: Mexico to Alaska via the Midwest and Prairie Provinces, southern New England to North Carolina, American Southwest

Habitat: Grassy areas

Lifespan: About a year

Diet: Grasses and forbs           

Predators: Mites, nematodes, bee flies, blister beetles, Scelionid wasps, Tachinidae flies, Sarcophagidae flies, skunks, shrews, moles, salamanders, snakes, toads, passerine birds

Conservation Status: Species of least concern

Grasshopper eggs (from ID Tools)

Other Information: The differential grasshopper is a crop pest in many areas where it is found. When congregated in large enough numbers, a swarm can be devastating. Egg packets are laid in soil, a half to two inches deep. Larvae hatch in spring and go through a series of molts before reaching adulthood in 40-60 days. They are noted for the dark chevrons on their jumping legs and come in many color morphs, ranging from to olive green to black to almost white. They are edible for humans and make good fishing bait.

Differential grasshopper nymph (from Cape May Wildlife)

This week’s information comes from Texas A&M, Insect Identification for the Casual Observer, and University of Kentucky. Photo credits: Bug Guide, ID Tools, Cape May Wildlife 

Amphibian Egg Mass Update

Thursday in the pond we explored new territory, circumnavigating the island which I have since dubbed "Goose Island". On previous trips to the pond there have always been Canada geese there, but this was my first time getting close enough to see that there are three nests on the island, all with eggs.
There were Northwestern salamander egg masses all around the island.

Northwest salamander egg mass

On the north side of the island, the aquatic vegetation is totally gone. Under the sediment the bottom feels very gravelly, so I think pond plants aren't fond of gravel. On the west side of the island, the wind picked up, kicking small waves that made forward visibility almost impossible. Looking behind me I had perfect visibility, as long as I wasn't looking at the cloud of sediment created by my footsteps. Back on the east side crossing to the mainland, we apparently didn't cross at the same spot. I was fine in my chest waders but my partner had hip waders and overtopped them. Reaching the shoreline through deep water with a sticky bottom was a long, tedious adventure. I was fighting a cold and Roger had wet legs so it seemed like a good place to end the day.
We'll try one more trip to the pond this week and that will likely be it for the season. Pond lilies are emerging, and a layer of pads on the surface means we can't see what's underneath. Last year's final egg hunt was May 7th and this year's plant cover seems on track to equal last year's growth.
After exiting the pond there were two dead shrews on the dirt path back to the cars. Who is killing them and why aren't they eating them?

Dead shrew in the path

March Showers Bring April Flowers

Spring is here for most of us. Daffodils and crocuses (croci?) have sprouted and blossomed here in the Northwest already, and I look forward to seeing the tulips. While the summer wildflowers in the mountain meadows get all the publicity, our forests also have their own display of wildflowers, starting now.

One of the first plants to leaf out is the Indian plum. In fact, it is already flowering. Indian plum is edible, but I read that they don’t taste very good and there isn’t much to eat. However, they are an important early food source for critters that are just waking up or just arriving from migration. 

Indian plum flowers

Salmonberries are also blooming, and Oregon grape is right around the corner. 

Salmonberry flower

Oregon grape getting ready to bloom

I found some self-heal and colt’s foot flowers on my last walk in the woods. It won’t be long until wood sorrel, bleeding heart, and trillium and the non-native stinky Bob and daisies are also blooming. Over in the wetlands, the skunk cabbage is living up to its name. This aquatic plant looks like cabbage leaves with a large yellow flower that smells like skunk spray. The scent attracts the insects the pollinate it. I have no idea if those same insects are attracted to any unfortunate victims of a skunk attack. Pond lilies are close to reaching the surface. Once that happens, I lose my ability to find egg masses, but it is yet another spring flower to look at.

Colt's foot

Self heal

Wood sorrel

The spring flower show might not be as impressive as what is to come in August (or California’s superbloom- see Nature Minute of Facebook for that), but it is just enough to whet your appetite. Plus, the longer growing season at lower elevations gives you more to look at over an extended time. What flowers are growing in your forest?

Pacific bleeding heart

Skunk cabbage (AKA skunkweed, AKA stinkweed), courtesy US Forest Service 

Western trillium

US Forest Service: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/Pacific_Northwest/QuinaultRainForestTrail/index.shtml

Marsh Madness

One of the most important habitats is wetlands, where the only buzzer-beater you’re likely to find here is when you swat at a mosquito or fly. Among the most productive of all ecosystems, wetlands provide food, water, and shelter for a dazzling array wildlife. Additionally, wetlands benefit people too. Besides recreational opportunities, wetlands provide flood control and water filtration. Not only are there freshwater and saltwater wetlands, but different varieties of each.  

Salt marshes are wetlands that flood with salt water at high tide. Obviously, they are found in coastal areas. They are a common feature in estuaries, areas where salt water mingles with fresh water. They are important habitat for seafood, including salmon, shrimp, and crab. The food our food eats is what draws them there (and the young salmon acclimate to the salt water), but they draw the critters that eat them. Salt marshes are important habitat for resident and migrating shore birds.

Saltwater marsh, Puget Sound

Saltwater marsh, Puget Sound

Freshwater wetlands are more varied. They include bogs, swamps, fens, and seasonal wetlands. Even shallow ponds are considered wetlands. The pond where I conduct my amphibian egg survey is considered wetlands.

Shallow pond freshwater wetland

Freshwater wetlands perform the important ecosystem services of flood control and water filtration. Wetlands do this by impounding rainwater and slowly releasing it downstream or absorbing it into the soil. They filter water by allowing sediments and pollutants settle out. Low water velocity lacks the necessary energy to carry those particles.

Like their salty counterparts, freshwater wetlands host a diverse community. In my pond, I have found two species of salamanders; three species of eggs; one species each of fish, freshwater shrimp, and snake; a river otter; insects galore; and birds too numerous to count. I have also seen deer and elk, coyote, and raccoon tracks and scats near the pond. I have no doubt that these critters are drinking from the pond.

Wet meadow wetland, Mount Rainier National Park

Just this morning I found myself in wetlands once again. This time the focus was on remove protective plastic tubes from trees that were planted three years ago. This site is in Washington’s Ohop Valley. The wetlands are seasonal freshwater, and since this is the rainy season the lands were wet. I didn’t notice much wildlife since I was looking down, but I did happen to see a ton of spiders and elk tracks and scats. The trees are important because they will shade out the invasive reed canary grass (which is swallowing everything) and cool the water temperature in the stream for the salmon. Water tolerant species such as willows were the most common tree I saw, and there were some others I didn’t recognize without leaves in the higher and drier areas.

Next time you drive past a soggy area, don’t be repulsed. Thank a wetland for your seafood and drinking water. Give a hoot and help protect our wetlands! Salt march information comes from our friends at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while Washington State Department of Ecology provided information on freshwater wetlands ecosystem services.

NOAA (salt marshes)

WA Ecology (water filtration)      

Amphibian Egg Mass Monitoring

So far this season, I've been out to the pond five times with my partner Roger. We have found mostly Northwestern salamander eggs, solid heavy balls of jelly. There were a few long-toed salamander eggs out first time out. The second time out it snowed the whole time. Standing in a pond, surrounded by falling snow, is a very odd sensation. Unlike rain, snow falling on a pond leaves no ripples. Visibility was not diminished at all, unlike yesterday's survey. We had to quit early because of rain. To someone who has never looked into a pond the way I do, rain might not matter. But those ripples by the hundred make a continuous succession of tiny waves that make it impossible to see through the surface. Yesterday also marked the first time we heard the Pacific tree frogs chorusing around us. It was only a few, but it almost felt like I was surrounded. The real chorus started at night. I had to take a walk, and went past a different pond. It was abuzz with tiny frogs, all calling for mates. I decided to shine my flashlight in there to see if I could see any of them. One of them heard my footsteps and thought I might be a threat. It stopped calling. Withing seconds, the pond was silent. That is a defense mechanism you my have encountered. If you've ever heard a frog and tried to find it you know they stop croaking when you get too close. In a sea of green, you can't find that little green frog without following your ears. So it is with predators. I read about this reaction in Merlin Tuttle's "The Secret Life of Bats", in a chapter about frog-eating bats. It was my first time experiencing an entire pond going silent in unison.

Amphibian Egg Mass Surveys

One of the things I do in my spare time (for self-serving fun and career development as well as stewarding my planet) is volunteer with Northwest Trek and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conducting amphibian egg mass surveys. No, I don’t go door to door asking questions about egg masses. I go to a pond and look for the eggs that several species of amphibians left behind following breeding.

            First, what is an amphibian? It’s a critter that leads a double life as both a terrestrial and aquatic animal. Unlike a reptile like an alligator that must surface to breathe, amphibians can breathe above or below water. The word amphibian comes from the Latin amphi bios meaning two lives.

            There are 27 species of amphibians in Washington, but WDFW only has us looking for the eggs of 8. They are Oregon spotted frog (state endangered, federally threatened), red-legged frog, American bullfrog (invasive to the Northwest), Pacific tree frog, western toad (candidate for listing as federally threatened or endangered), Northwestern salamander, long-toed salamander, and rough skinned newt.

            The pond I survey is in Eatonville. In and around, I have found eggs, tadpoles, or adults of four of those species. There were Northwestern salamander, Pacific tree frog, and red-legged frog egg masses; adult Pacific tree frogs, a red-legged frog, and American bullfrogs; and some tadpoles that were too fast to be able to identify.

American bullfrog

Red-legged frog

Pacific tree frogs

            To conduct a survey, I go into the pond with my partner Roger and slowly walk around looking for eggs. It seems like a challenge at first, but the egg masses are very obvious in most cases. Northwestern salamander egg masses are a huge solid ball of jelly, about the size of a grapefruit. They are likely to be attached to a pond lily stem. Pacific tree frog masses are smaller balls of jelly attached to smaller aquatic plants in most cases.

Northwestern salamander egg mass

Pacific tree frog egg mass

            When we find egg masses, we mark the location on a GPS and take a picture. It also gets logged on a tracking sheet. Last March the batteries in either the GPS or camera died and the spare batteries in our pack were also dead. It was a little frustrating switching batteries from one device to the other, especially because that was the day a river otter was helping us. It would’ve been great to get a shot of that little guy! As a consolation, we found a pile of his poo.

River otter scat

            Gently cleaning our waders before and after conducting a survey is a thoughtful way to help prevent the spread of invasives from one pond to another. It can also help reduce the spread of chytrid fungus, which causes disease in amphibians.

            The data we collect gets sent to the state to help biologists determine habitat conditions and species trends. Amphibians are an indicator species (species that can indicate trouble in an ecosystem by absence or presence) because their thin skin makes them very sensitive to environmental changes. By identifying trouble early on, biologists can analyze and correct the situation.

            Now you have a glimpse inside the working world of a nature guy. I’ll be back in the pond for a third season of egg mass surveying, starting this week. Weather permitting, of course. Don't forget to like Nature Minute on Facebook!