Take a bunch of bird-lovers from Vermont, stick them in southern New Jersey, and they’ll find a lot more than just birds… even if they’re in a birding competition! That was especially true this year as the weather was more suitable for frog-hunting than birding at the World Series of Birding. The North Branch Nature Center’s youth and young adult teams enjoyed discovering many types of herptiles (reptiles and amphibians) over the course of the weekend, both during our scouting day as well as the 24-hour competition.
Eastern Spadefoot on a wet road |
We started birding at the stroke of midnight, but after
hours of searching for nightjars, owls, and rails in the pouring rain, frog
species were outnumbering birds. Eastern
Spadefoots were a pleasant surprise on an otherwise dreary night. Gray Treefrogs were also crossing the road,
along with Fowler’s Toads, Spring Peepers, and Wood Frogs. Other amphibians could be heard calling from
swamps and ponds. The Carpenter Frogs
cackled and Green Frogs grunted, not deterred by the rain. It wasn’t until dawn that the number of bird
species observed surpassed that of frogs!
Amelia holds a Black Ratsnake |
By noon, we had already surpassed 100 species of birds, and
were well on our way to double-digits for herptiles. The rain would occasionally dissipate, and
during those narrow windows of relative dryness, reptiles sought sunny places
to bask. Watersnakes and a Ratsnake were
nice lunchtime surprises. The Box Turtle that we
stumbled upon in the morning was another fortunate and thrilling
encounter! Even when focused on birds,
we were bumping into reptiles throughout the day.
One of the most fun herping moments of the trip was during
scouting, when we flipped some concrete slabs in a forest, uncovering a group
of Southern Ring-necked Snakes and Eastern Worm Snakes! And since it was the
day before the competition, we got to slow down and enjoy the experience! Both were “lifers” for most of us northern
folk, and made us completely forget about the Red-headed Woodpecker we
missed. Herps and birds combined, it was
another fantastic year at the World Series of Birding!
Melissa checking out a Wormsnake |
Complete Trip List
·
Diamondback Terrapin
·
Eastern Box Turtle
·
Redbelly Turtle
·
Black Ratsnake
·
Eastern Wormsnake
·
Northern Watersnake
·
Southern Ring-necked Snake
·
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
·
American Bullfrog
·
Carpenter Frog
·
Eastern Spadefoot
·
Fowler’s Toad
·
Green Frog
·
Chorus Frog
·
Gray Treefrog
·
Spring Peeper
·
Southern Leopard Frog
·
Wood Frog
Eastern Box Turtle in the dunes |
male Carpenter Frog singing |
Southern Ring-necked Snake was a highlight! |
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