Last night I was coming home from a great birding experience (Northern
Harriers followed by Short-eared Owls hunting a nearby field). It had rained
during the day and was in the 50s. As the sun set, a serious front rolled
through - temps dropped and wind really picked up - so much so that spotting
scopes were almost blown over, it was that kind of wind.
As I drove home, at 6:30pm.with no rain and big winds, I got to a 4-way
intersection where there are known sink hole vernal pools. As I rolled to
the stop, I saw that familiar sign..not leaves blowing across the street but
frogs hopping - my heart dropped. And they were all female wood frogs,
gravid-as-gravid can be.
While this is a "back road" of sorts, the traffic was constant and it was
"rush" hour. I put on my hazard lights and jumped into road crossing assist
mode. Didn't expect this on a no-rain night and didn't have the tel numbers
to call in help. It all lasted about 40 minutes.
Their skin was pretty dry from the wind so I tried to wet them a bit from a
clean puddle to help a little as they continued on their way.
Not only does this feel a few weeks early for our wood frogs, I was also
surprised to see movement without the rain
Spring has sprung!
Nicole Hamilton (Waterford, Va - northern Virginia)
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