Date: 3/28/21
Writer: Nathan
Location: ARC 194 (Rte 5 near UVAC) & ARC 154 (Dewey Pond Rd)
This day was full of rain and wind; no crazy storms like the previous migration day. About an hour after sunset, my partner and I arrived at ARC 194 and found we were the only humans present. A mix of full rain and light drizzle meshed appropriately with a mix of wood frogs and spring peepers. Still, it’s early in the season, so we once again only encountered a handful of frogs and only one eastern newt. A relief for our hearts, we only scraped about fifteen amphibians off the pavement; far fewer than the previous foray’s thirty squished amphibians, and most of them were from before we arrived.
After two hours, the rain had stopped and the temperature was dropping and so was the frequency with which we encountered creatures. We decided to move our efforts to Dewey Pond Rd in Quechee. Thirty minutes we spent walking that road up and down. Our fruits were zero dead amphibians and two live ones. Just as importantly, we encountered zero cars. We whispered hello and goodbye to the angry beaver that slapped its tail at us from the pond before jumping back into the car and driving slowly away. No amphibians crossed our path on the short drive home (that we know of).
Later, I learned that a group of people found about ten amphibians crossing Dewey Pond Rd in the hour before my partner and I arrived. Presumably the temperature had dropped too much for frog comfort by the time we arrived.
Still, the big nights are yet to come.