Local California Tigers?

[lexmiller]

I live in the valley of Northern California. Not many salamander sightings unless you count the local pet shop.

However, there is a reserve that has a localized population of A. californies(or tigrinum) that I would LOVE to observe and photograph. The reserve is open to public all throughout the year.

What are the BEST conditions to go and possibly see these cool little guys. I would like to take pictures of them in this reserve to possibly raise awareness of these creatures in an area where they aren't usually seen.

I have only herped in the Northern Coast where all you do is turn about 2 logs before you find 5 different types of amphibians. Where do I look to find A. tigrinum(or californies)? What types of conditions? This area is mostly rice patties I believe...so the reserve is really marshy.

 

[otolith]

There were a few reserves set up north of San Francisco where I have observed them. The reserves I visited are all on private land along a river basin that floods, the salamanders breed in the surrounding vernal pools above the flood basin. This is all "oak savannah", mostly native bunch grasses and large Live and Valley Oaks. Most of the land that borders the reserves is grazed regularly by dairy cows so the salamander populations are severely fragmented despite only being several miles apart. There are no migration corridors that do not intersect with roads or grazing lands.

I have seen the most in January/February but I have heard of them migrating to their breeding pools as early as November depending on where in CA you are. I went on a population survey in a Fishery Biology & Wildlife Management class (the only reason I had access to these areas). We were checking bucket traps that corral them while they migrate and then moved them across the roads to their breeding pools. They seem most active at night after a good rain in the early spring/late winter but days with light rain are good too if you know where the breeding pools are.