I missed them, the vernal pools were already dry...

I went to one of my favorite places in CA, which still has vernal pools and CA tigers, hoping to finallly catch a glimpse of some larvae. I've been there before at the initiation of the rainy season and seen the migration, and I've been there in late summer when it's hard to imagine any amphibian could survive the dryness. The transformation is pretty amazing. Unfortunately, I can't find the old rainy or dry season photos. I had wanted to see the place just after the rainy season ended. It looks like was too late when I finally made it out there this time. Most of the vernal pools had mostly dried up with only a little water remaining in their base. I didn't hit every pool, but it was an amphibian bust other than a lone toad in a well-shaded spot. I guess they're all underground with the ground squirrels now. One the plus side I saw plenty of pill bugs. (In reference to http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=53423)

Edit: not entirely true, I did see two red-legged frogs, but I couldn't get close enough to get a picture without disturbing the bank and scaring the frogs.

thanks for the pictures

earlier to day it was just snowing here in South eastern Wisconsin, Monday is supposed to be 55 Degrees with Thunderstorms, so hopefully I wont miss the tigers

It did not seem like we had enough rain this season. It is quite sad.

Some species of tiger salamanders skip years of breeding if the conditions aren't suitable, it's probably a natural cycle.

I'm betting they did breed this year, it was fairly rainy winter... at least in Berkeley. I think I was just too late this year, or maybe just unlucky. I did find some pictures from our early Jan. 2006 trip there. The grass had just started growing on the hills. We did see some CA tigers that trip, but it was late in the evening, and we didn't have a flash, so their pictures are terrible. Earlier we'd found lots of treefrogs and a toad that time. I included a stereo pair image so you can see the toad in 3D. (if you know how to do the cross your eyes/ focus on the middle image thing).

great photos,
, lol, you had me staring at the 2 toads trying to cross my eyes and see some kind of 3d toad, am i missing something?

The pictures of the toad head is a stereo pair. If you know how to do it you can see the toad in 3D. How I do it is cross my eyes...find and focus on the middle image that appears, then blink a few times until that image comes into focus.

pete said:

The pictures of the toad head is a stereo pair. If you know how to do it you can see the toad in 3D. How I do it is cross my eyes...find and focus on the middle image that appears, then blink a few times until that image comes into focus.

Click to expand...

That is really amazing Pete, I didn't know you could have the same effect without special glasses. Really nice!

Our ponds are still frozen over... but rainy and 50's this weekend!!

Nice pics! What sp. of toads are they? Bufo boreas and Bufo woodhousi?

I believe B. boreas, but I'm no toad expert.