sde
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2012
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- Location
- Seattle area Washington
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- Display Name
- Seth
HI guys!
So i wanted to share this video to show what i am talking about.
funnel traps for salamanders - Bing Videos
funnel traps for salamanders - Bing Videos
There is two actually.
So this is what i do, except i use empty soda bottles. Its simple and effective. It can be put to use in ponds lakes revers streams etc.. But, i use mine mainly for use in storm drains. I have caught a lot of amphibians out of these, they are trapped most of the time, unless its a tree frog which can climb out maybe.
They are not a road storm drain i will post a pc so you can see what i am talking about.
stormwater pond - Bing Images
Its the cage like thing, but the ones here are domed shaped. Anyway, i make these funnel traps and tie fishing line to them and lower them into the water.
I have caught: Rana catsbieana ( American bullfrog ). Ambystoma gracile ( northwester salamander ). Ambystoma macrodactylum ( long toed salamander ). Hyla regilla ( pacific chorus frog ( alternately called the pacific tree frog ).
That's it, i have caught them all in both adult and larval stage/tadpole stage. I also use my net to scoop them out. The sad part is that there may be so many animals in there that it get crowded. But the very worst part is the water. It is NASTY! Dead mice floating around, leeches, trash, and the over crowding doesn't help either. Plus R. catesbieana is a dirty species, and sometimes there is carp/koi in there too!
The city must have thought it would be cool to introduce some koi into the storm water ponds ( where species breed ) to help keep it clean. Well let me tell you, it didn't work! It has caused unknown troubles. I am sure they a causing a decline in the amphibians breeding in there. But the part that kills me is that they may have spread to a nearby marsh! See, there is this one storm water pond that is overloaded with the koi. And some have gotten into the storm drain, that drains its water into the woods, that ends up in the marsh ( that's bad enough ). And some of the koi get down into the place that it dumps the water at, and they may have made it into the natural ( i think its natural, no people or pollutants that i have found ) marsh where amphibians breed! It is the only place i know T. granulosa breed. A. gracile also breed there, and i am almost positive others do as well.
Ok, i have kind of went off topic.
So anyway, i "rescue" these little critters from the storm drains, and then release them, or keep them on accasion ( like the one larvae A. gracile in the picture ). Its fun and helps them out. I am going to share some pictures at the end. All of which are individuals that were "rescued" The salamander in the first picture ( adult female A. gracile ) had leaches on it The second picture is R. catesbieana tadpoles. Same for the third. The fourth is a adult male R. catesbieana. And the fifth is a larvae A. gracile.
Just wanted to share :happy: -Seth
So i wanted to share this video to show what i am talking about.
funnel traps for salamanders - Bing Videos
funnel traps for salamanders - Bing Videos
There is two actually.
So this is what i do, except i use empty soda bottles. Its simple and effective. It can be put to use in ponds lakes revers streams etc.. But, i use mine mainly for use in storm drains. I have caught a lot of amphibians out of these, they are trapped most of the time, unless its a tree frog which can climb out maybe.
They are not a road storm drain i will post a pc so you can see what i am talking about.
stormwater pond - Bing Images
Its the cage like thing, but the ones here are domed shaped. Anyway, i make these funnel traps and tie fishing line to them and lower them into the water.
I have caught: Rana catsbieana ( American bullfrog ). Ambystoma gracile ( northwester salamander ). Ambystoma macrodactylum ( long toed salamander ). Hyla regilla ( pacific chorus frog ( alternately called the pacific tree frog ).
That's it, i have caught them all in both adult and larval stage/tadpole stage. I also use my net to scoop them out. The sad part is that there may be so many animals in there that it get crowded. But the very worst part is the water. It is NASTY! Dead mice floating around, leeches, trash, and the over crowding doesn't help either. Plus R. catesbieana is a dirty species, and sometimes there is carp/koi in there too!
The city must have thought it would be cool to introduce some koi into the storm water ponds ( where species breed ) to help keep it clean. Well let me tell you, it didn't work! It has caused unknown troubles. I am sure they a causing a decline in the amphibians breeding in there. But the part that kills me is that they may have spread to a nearby marsh! See, there is this one storm water pond that is overloaded with the koi. And some have gotten into the storm drain, that drains its water into the woods, that ends up in the marsh ( that's bad enough ). And some of the koi get down into the place that it dumps the water at, and they may have made it into the natural ( i think its natural, no people or pollutants that i have found ) marsh where amphibians breed! It is the only place i know T. granulosa breed. A. gracile also breed there, and i am almost positive others do as well.
Ok, i have kind of went off topic
.So anyway, i "rescue" these little critters from the storm drains, and then release them, or keep them on accasion ( like the one larvae A. gracile in the picture ). Its fun and helps them out. I am going to share some pictures at the end. All of which are individuals that were "rescued" The salamander in the first picture ( adult female A. gracile ) had leaches on it
The second picture is R. catesbieana tadpoles. Same for the third. The fourth is a adult male R. catesbieana. And the fifth is a larvae A. gracile. Just wanted to share :happy: -Seth
