October 31, 2007
October 23, 2007
Possible Dunn's Salamander eggs
While doing some casual salamander searching at Circle Creek near Seaside, I came upon a batch of salamander eggs underneath a large rock.
The size is just too large for anything but a salamander and the only three regularly occurring terrestrial salamanders in this part of the world are Ensatina, Dunn's Salamander and Western Red-backed Salamander. Of these, only Dunn's Salamander is known to lay eggs in the fall.
Dunn's Salamander (Plethodon dunni is a fairly common salamander of wet forest areas of the Oregon Coast Range.
October 17, 2007
Dicamptodon tenebrosus explained
The Pacific Giant Salamander is the largest salamander species found in the Pacific Northwest. I have been searching stream areas all summer looking for the larval form of this species and the closely related Cope's Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon copei). The larval stage is hardly giant, with most individuals coming in at under 10cm.
But a full grown adult Pacific Giant can come in at over 30cm. I found one this morning that's just over 26cm snout to tail.
A handful by anybody's definition.
October 3, 2007
Western (ish) Gulls
Yesterday, while chasing reports of an all white gull in Seaside, I came upon this (mostly) WESTERN GULL at the cove. It is in most respects a fairly typical 3rd winter Western with one distinctly unusual feature...
