Field Herping: Encountering reptiles and amphibians in the wild • mcwetboy.com

Pelee Island Field Trip (2003)

Field Trips and Activities

Here are some of the field herping activities and field trips I’ve been involved with in the past.

Pelee Island

An expedition to Pelee Island has taken place every May long weekend; I attended the trips in 2001, 2002 and 2004. I’ve posted photos from the 2002 and 2004 trips, as well as a trip report from 2002.

Mudpuppy Night

Every winter, Fred Schueler runs a weekly expedition to the dam at Oxford Mills to observe mudpuppies — possibly the only place where they can be observed during winter. I’ve posted photos from 2004 and 2005.

Murphy’s Point

In 2002, we took part in an OARA field trip to Murphy’s Point Provincial Park. Our purpose was to look for black rat snakes, but we saw a lot of terrestrial salamanders instead. I’ve posted photos from that trip.

Narcisse Snake Dens

I visited the Narcisse Snake Dens twice in one year when I was eight years old — there are pictures of me from that time here and here — but didn’t return until August 2006. I’ve posted photos from that trip and have also written an article about it.

Spotted Turtle Survey

Every spring, the spotted turtle survey takes place at or near a provincial park in Ontario, the name and location of which is kept quiet to discourage poaching. I wrote an article about it in 2001, and I have some photos from the 2003 trip.

Life List

My life list is a list of all the species of reptiles and amphibians that I’ve encountered in the wild. I include both sightings and frog calls. It’s pretty heavily weighted toward southern Ontario and Quebec at the moment, a result of my lack of travel since getting into herping.

The life list indicates the first time I have seen a species in the wild — encounters with captives don’t count! Links are to photos of my first wild encounters with each species.

Snakes

Blue RacerColuber constrictor foxii	Ontario	May 23, 2004
Eastern Fox Snake Elaphe gloydi	Ontario	May 19, 2001
Smooth Green SnakeLiochlorophis vernalis	Ontario	April 19, 2003
Lake Erie Water Snake Nerodia sipedon insularum	Ontario	May 19, 2001
Northern Water Snake Nerodia sipedon sipedon	Ontario	May 6, 2000
Brown Snake Storeria dekayi	Ontario	April 14, 2001
Northern Red-bellied SnakeStoreria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata	Ontario	April 20, 2003
Northern Ribbon Snake Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis	Ontario	April 14, 2001
Red-sided Garter SnakeThamnophis sirtalis parietalis	Manitoba	May 1980
Eastern Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis	Ontario	April 14, 2001

Lizards

Northern Alligator Lizard Elgaria principis principis

British Columbia

Aug. 1993

Turtles

Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina serpentina	Ontario	April 14, 2001
Western Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta bellii	Manitoba	Early 1980s
Midland Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta marginata	Ontario	April 2000
Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata	Ontario	April 14, 2001
Blanding's Turtle Emydoidea blandingi	Ontario	May 21, 2001

Frogs and Toads

American Toad Bufo americanus americanus	Ontario	May 21, 2001
Gray Treefrog Hyla versicolor	Ontario	May 2001 (heard)
Northern Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer crucifer	Ontario	May 2001 (heard)
Western Chorus Frog Pseudacris triseriata	Quebec	May 4, 2003 (heard)
Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana	Ontario	May 2001
Green Frog Rana clamitans melanota	Ontario	April 8, 2001
Northern Leopard Frog Rana pipiens	Saskatchewan	1970s
Mink Frog Rana septentrionalis	Ontario	June 10, 2001
Wood FrogRana sylvatica	Ontario	June 16, 2002

Salamanders

Blue-spotted SalamanderAmbystoma laterale	Ontario	June 16, 2002
Spotted SalamanderAmbystoma maculatum	Ontario	June 16, 2002
Smallmouth Salamander Ambystoma texanum	Ontario	May 19, 2001
Common Mudpuppy Necturus maculosus	Ontario	Feb. 2000
Red-spotted NewtNotophthalmus viridiscens viridiscens	Ontario	April 20, 2003
Northern Red-backed Salamander Plethodon cinereus	Ontario	April 14, 2001