The Hunt for Red Knot

For the second time in three years, I journeyed to the Delaware Bay beaches of New Jersey in search of the red knot, a long-distance voyager from South America. In 2019 I spent a day scouring Cape May County and while I had a great day of birding, I was unsuccessful. I decided to try again in a year, spending a few weekdays on vacation there to have 24 hour access to the beaches while avoiding the weekend crowds. That trip was cancelled because of Covid, although I'm sure the shorebird migration was unaffected. This year I was able to make the trip, giving myself a Sunday, Monday, and part of Tuesday to find the elusive little sandpiper.

Red knot (USFWS)

Sunday, May 23rd was one of the warmest days of the year so far. I wasn't in a rush to get anywhere so I wasn't on the road at the crack of dawn, but I didn't want to waste any daylight. Leaving by 7:30 was a good compromise. I made great time getting to the beaches in the area of Villas, NJ. Two years ago my first stop was Kimbles Beach, a part of Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. I decided to stop there first again. There were laughing gulls and "peeps", a generic term for the little sandpipers that all look alike to me. They weren't present in as great a number as 2019, and it could be because this year's trip was a little later in the migration than before.

Peeps and gulls feeding at Kimbles Beach

The tide was on its way out, and there were quite a few horseshoe crabs on the beach, and pearly green eggs in the wrack line. Some were making their way back into the bay, while others were burying themselves in the sand. Still more were dead, becoming meals for the birds and other critters. I scanned up and down the beach, but no red knots. There was a volunteer naturalist on duty, and she told me to check back later in the day when the tide is coming back in, about four in the afternoon.

Horseshoe crab eggs

It was late morning, so I had quite a bit of time to kill until then. My next stop was Higbee's Beach, where I saw my first American oystercatcher two years earlier. This time there were more people than birds on the beach so I didn't spend much time there. The highlight of this beach was a whelk egg case that had washed ashore.

Whelk egg case

The clock was still slowly ticking away until the tide returned, so I went to Fire Control Tower #23, a World War II observation tower. It was lovingly restored and opened to the the public for tours while I was living in Washington, and in 2019 I arrived just after it closed for the day. I was determined to get inside this time after years of wondering what was in there.

Skipping over the history lesson and staying on track with nature, the real reason for my visit, I had a picnic lunch at Cape May Point State Park before hitting the trails there. The trail I chose was a loop through a maritime forest and around a freshwater pond. Swans and ducks were beating the heat with a swim, songbirds serenaded me, and the air was scented with saltwater, bayberry, and eastern red cedar. Some wildflowers added a splash of color, and a muskrat lodge was the only sign of mammals. By the lighthouse, a flock of purple martins flitted around their little hotel on a pole, calling to each other and snagging insects like little flying acrobats.

Muskrat lodge

I checked in at my AirBNB just a block from the bay and took a nap until it was time for the tide to return. I went back to Kimbles Beach and waited. The horseshoe crabs were still there, and in greater numbers. The laughing gulls and peeps were still there, but no sign of red knots. A few other people came to the beach and we talked about wildlife for a while. I was scanning to the south and Liz, a birder from North Jersey, was scanning to the north. She spotted the red knots in a mixed flock. Finally, after two years I got the bird I was after. Much like the first time seeing the horseshoe crabs spawning, it was a surreal experience.

Horseshoe crabs coming ashore to spawn

A mixed flock that includes red knots

Seeing the red knot on the first day freed up the rest of my time to look at other wildlife areas. I went to Sunset Beach, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mercury and Venus after sunset, but the clouds had already come in by then. I spent some time at the gift shop and got a few items for my friends while I waited for the traffic situation there to clear out, then got some nighttime lighthouse pictures.

Monday was cloudy, drizzly, and about 30 degrees cooler. I wasn't about to let a few raindrops ruin my day. A rainy day at the beach is better than a sunny day at work. After breakfast in Cape May, I went to the Nature Conservancy's Garrett Family Preserve. It's a small property in between a residential neighborhood and Cape Island Creek. The property is a matrix of forest and field up against a salt marsh. I saw and heard quite a few songbirds, a young rabbit, a baby diamondback terrapin, a duck, a turkey vulture, wildflowers, a pile of feathers and bones, and some bee hives. In the salt marsh, there was an osprey on the nest and a bunch of holes where I saw some kind of motion. It was fiddler crabs scuttling back into the holes when they saw me coming.

Baby diamondback terrapin

My next stop was South Cape May Meadows, another Nature Conservancy property on the Atlantic. I first went there in 2019 and had a great day of bird watching. This time was more of the same, despite the drizzle. I saw my first glossy ibis and more turtles. However, it was just turtle heads poking out of the water so I couldn't tell what kind they were. There was another muskrat lodge, swans, ducks, geese, terns, and peeps. On the beach in the fenced off nesting area there were terns, oystercatchers, and some other bird that was too far for me to identify. I came across a toad, lots of feeding peeps including dowitchers, otter scat, and more piles of feathers where some bird met its demise. 

Long-billed dowitcher

Beach toad

Glossy ibis

A walk around Lake Lily brought me pond lilies, a robin fledgling, and a family of swans. After a late lunch I went to the wildlife refuge's Two Mile Beach unit on the Atlantic outside of Wildwood. While I didn't see them, there are snowy plovers nesting there. By the time I got there, the rain became steadier than a drizzle and the dark clouds and high wind made for an angry looking ocean. I continued walking the trails. More ducks and peeps, my first eastern towhee, and my first yellow warbler were waiting for me.I decided to head back to the bay to see if the red knots would be back with the rising tide. But first, I had to hit the boardwalk and grab some more gifts. Bubble blowing unicorns are in, license plates with your name are out.

Kimbles Beach was getting a steady rain when I arrived, but the wind was gone. Despite the incoming tide, the waves were almost nonexistent. So were the crabs. And so were the red knots. I decided to order dinner and call it a night. I had one last stop planned for Tuesday before going home, but my GPS wanted me to drive around a trailer park so I just left. One of the last things I saw before leaving New Jersey was a great blue heron flying over the Delaware River. 

The plan for finding the red knot worked. I avoided weekend traffic for the most part, I slept in an ideal location, the weather was mostly cooperative, I learned a lot, and saw a blend of new sites and old. I saw close to 30 different bird species, 5 that I never saw before, including the one bird I went to see. My long weekend was a nice break from the office and recharged my batteries for me, in spite of the miles I put on my feet.

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.

Road Trip Adventure- The Badlands

This week’s Nature Minute is the final story from the road. This week we take a look at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The dazzling colorful rock formations here remind me of the Grand Canyon, though not as grand. I didn’t have time to explore, so I took in as much scenery as I could while cruising through. 

The mixed grass prairie doesn't betray what lies beneath

The first thing I saw when I entered the park was a prairie dog. Despite being known for the rock formations, there is a considerable amount of prairie here, complete with bison, prairie dogs, and reintroduced black-footed ferrets. Shortly after seeing the prairie dogs, I took the first turn (a right, if you’re keeping score) to see just how bad the lands are. There was a bighorn ewe keeping watch over the parking lot, my second critter of the morning. A quick scan of my surroundings revealed a few more sheep picking their way along just beneath the ridgeline.

Bighorn ewe

Like a gaping wound, an opening in the prairie
exposes the colorful bands of sedimentary rock

For being such a bad land, the Badlands hosts an astounding amount of wildlife. According to the National Park Service, 39 species of mammals, 9 reptiles, 6 amphibians, and 206 birds have been documented in the park. In addition to those listed earlier, there are coyotes, bobcats, foxes, two deer species, and pronghorn. Bird species include cliff swallows, horned larks, and northern harriers. Herps include rattlesnakes, snapping turtles, chorus frogs, spadefoot toads, and blotched tiger salamanders.

How did the Badlands form? Layers of sediments were deposited over a period of about 40 million years, beginning 67 to 75 million years ago. The oldest (and bottom) layer is muddy sea floor, complete with ocean fossils. Other layers were deposited by flooding rivers (when the area was a tropical forest), or most recently, ash from volcanic eruptions. These sediments all compressed into sedimentary rock and each layer is its own color. Erosion gives us the shape of the formations. Modern rivers scoured away at the layers of sediments, creating the peaks and canyons that we see today.

Badland formations

Badland formations

Here we can see where a river is
still carving out a canyon

Badland formations

Badland formations

That’s it for this year’s Nature Minute road trip. I hope to more travelling in the future and share more stories from the road. I encourage you to go seek your own adventures in the wild. This week’s information comes from the National Park Service (wildlife and geology). 

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 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!