Drought

[rubén]

This year in Portugal and Spain is being one of the driest of the last century. Fires are destroying our landscapes and, of course... this it affects ours caudates and reptiles. No breeding and no activity in salamanders and newts ( except of the northern coast ).
Like a treasure, and after of several months over 40 º celsius and no rain since the last autumn, the clouds will come soon, finally. I would like to say that this is a good new for amphibians, but first of all are the people of many villages without water this summer.

 

[pin-pin]

It has been the opposite in California, being a particularly wet year.

Yes, rain is always good. I hope there's some coming your way.

 

[frank]

Hi Ruben,

Actually I was quite surprised. I visited the region from the Serra da Estrela over Valladolid to Asturias at the end of July and didn't find a lot of reptiles but a surprising amount of salamanders and newts! Adult T marmoratus in several ponds, lots of adult Salamandra and Chioglossa and T helveticus and T alpestris. I think I was just extremely lucky with the weather at that moment. I sure hope that you will have a lot of rain! What stroke me by the way are the massive amounts of very dangerous waste, especially in the Serra da Estrella (eg lots of broken bottles and other glass which I can imagine to cause fires quite easily)...

 

[rubén]

Hi Frank

This is very interesting. So... you have been here recently I'm amazed: Did you find all those species in aquatic phase!? at late july, august and september is really difficult find newts in water, except of the high mountain ponds in the cantabrian mountains and the central mountain range over 1.600 m.

For example this year no reproduction was observed in Pleurodeles, T. pygmaeus, Salamandra s. bejarae/gallaica and T. marmoratus in central Spain. Logical consequence when the rainfalls fallen this year are like those of the Sahel level in Africa.

Anyway, and hoping ( still ) the "golden liquid" of the autumn... the next time phone me, maybe can I show you interesting places

 

[terry]

Hello Rubén

I feel very sorry for the areas affected by the drought and the fires. Autumn is on its way and i hope the rains will come in time and give a good deluge to the lands and the amphibians that really need cooler weathers and of course, rain.

 

[sergé]

There have been very dry years (winters) in the past (winters in the early nineties), most of the populations can deal with it I guess, as long as there will be wetter winters as well, but climatic changes can cause regional decline. The fires are a different story. Although Malkmus (Zeitschrift für Feldherpetologie) has published something on Portugal and it seems amphibian populations can survive those effects as well.

 

[william]

i hope for their sake they can!