South/Aldercroft side - 3/11/2020

Coverage: Aldercroft Heights Road intersection to second stop sign.
3/11/2020, 10:25am - 12:30pm

Dead newts: 165
Other critters: 1 dead frog

Vehicles: 13
Bikes: 10

Weather: Partly cloudy, warm. We got a little rain earlier in the week, so no surprise that so many newts were on the move.

Rainfall: MTD 0.34in, YTD 15.55in (per http://www.weathercat.net/wxraindetail.php?year=2020)

Wow, it was brutal today. Since I removed almost all of the newts seen recently, I'm sure that most of the ones seen today are new, and many looked definitely fresh. There were a few that were ratty crackers (maybe hard to remove last week), so I didn't count them, but did remove them if possible. I also removed all of the new ones posted today. I wonder if getting a homeopathic dose of their toxin makes us stronger.

Once again, by far most of the newts were found on the east side of the road, further away from the reservoir.

I'm behind in posting observations, but will get to it asap.

Publicado el jueves, 12 de marzo de 2020 a las 04:28 AM por newtpatrol newtpatrol

Comentarios

Glad you were able to do it, @newtpatrol, sure it was really gross...

Anotado por merav hace cerca de 4 años

@newtpatrol, @merav, how are you all removing the dead bodies? Do you have a scooper, or are you using your feet (or, God forbid, your hands)?

Last year when there were a lot of dry ones, I thought about bringing a broom and sweeping them off the road, but I decided that would be too bulky & awkward to carry a broom in addition to a camera.

Anotado por truthseqr hace cerca de 4 años

I used a stick - a eucalyptus branch I found on the ground. It's not perfect, but it's good enough.

Anotado por merav hace cerca de 4 años

I just use my hands, and choose a spot to grab that isn't goopy. It's the most efficient, doesn't bother me, and that's how I get the homeopathic dose of toxin that makes me stronger. Yes, I do wash my hands after getting back home.

Most of them seem to be stuck at least somewhat, such that I'd think a broom would have trouble unsticking them. Then there's the messy broom to clean afterward, etc. But I haven't tried it, so whatever works for you.

Anotado por newtpatrol hace cerca de 4 años

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