Hello Everyone.
Looks like I've come to a great corner of the web-world. I am a life-long naturalist with a special interest in Amphibians, especially salamanders. I have lived across North America in Canada (Alberta), Pennsylvania, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and now Indiana. Professionally I am a Microbiologist, but I have been doing some work with my research here in Indiana monitoring the Chytrid fungus locally with my undergraduate students. I am also a serious nature photographer, I have been for almost 20 years.I greatly appreciate finding amphibians in nature and then leaving them alone.I keep life-lists of amphibians (as I do with other vertebrate organism) and can claim to have seen some where in the neighborhood of 50 species.
Just to give you a little more understanding of my passion, as a kid in Canada I was called 'Soggy Froggy" because I was so good at catching frogs in the local ponds. (Catch and release).I have the distinction of saying that I was once saved from serious injury by the endangered species, the Houston Toad...but that's another story.
I will be in Southern France in early June (near SE of Bordeaux and near Tarbes) and would greatly appreciate (off-forum if that's appropriate) herping locations within 100 km of those locations that are good herping locations. I am especially keen to find Salamandra salamandra as I would really love to photograph this lovely species in the wild.
So Merci, Danka,and any other greetings that are appropriate for permitting me to join this community. I look forward to reading through the posts here.
Looks like I've come to a great corner of the web-world. I am a life-long naturalist with a special interest in Amphibians, especially salamanders. I have lived across North America in Canada (Alberta), Pennsylvania, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and now Indiana. Professionally I am a Microbiologist, but I have been doing some work with my research here in Indiana monitoring the Chytrid fungus locally with my undergraduate students. I am also a serious nature photographer, I have been for almost 20 years.I greatly appreciate finding amphibians in nature and then leaving them alone.I keep life-lists of amphibians (as I do with other vertebrate organism) and can claim to have seen some where in the neighborhood of 50 species.
Just to give you a little more understanding of my passion, as a kid in Canada I was called 'Soggy Froggy" because I was so good at catching frogs in the local ponds. (Catch and release).I have the distinction of saying that I was once saved from serious injury by the endangered species, the Houston Toad...but that's another story.
I will be in Southern France in early June (near SE of Bordeaux and near Tarbes) and would greatly appreciate (off-forum if that's appropriate) herping locations within 100 km of those locations that are good herping locations. I am especially keen to find Salamandra salamandra as I would really love to photograph this lovely species in the wild.
So Merci, Danka,and any other greetings that are appropriate for permitting me to join this community. I look forward to reading through the posts here.