Salamanders, birds, bears, and bees

I got to visit my study areas last week for another (and potentially final) salamander cover board check. My advisor accompanied me this time, so it was nice to show him around more down there and help him see what I've been doing. We actually made out pretty well- caught three salamanders, one longtail and two slimys. After spending most of the day in the field, we attended the annual symposium dinner, basically what they call the "dog and pony show" for the year. I pretty much have to show up, say hello to some folks, thank them for funding my project, and turn in my annual progress report. Oh, and the dinner is awesome- steak, potato, and salad= very good. I almost got roped into doing a tour of some of my study sites, but one of the forestry professors who does a lot of his work there is retiring, and they wanted to give him the chance to host a tour. I wasn't disappointed!

While in the field, we saw some excellent bear tracks in the mud, and then later, saw the bear! We didn't see many at all during field season this year, so that was a treat. And luckily we were in the car, which was also a treat as opposed to surprising the bugger in the field. The only negative of the day (well there was two) was the oppressive heat (gets pretty hot on the mine sites without that lovely canopy cover) and my encounter with some form of stinging insect, most likely a yellow jacket I think. I hadn't been stung in so long, I actually had forgotten how badly it hurt. I got stung right on my finger as well, so my whole hand swelled up for the evening, which was really fun at the "dog and pony show." "Hi, nice to meet you, yes, my hand is huge."

All in all, it was a good, but very long day. We didn't get back to Blacksburg until almost midnight that evening. Unfortunately my advisor was the photographer for the day since he has an awesome camera, so I don't have pictures yet. But there should be some good ones, so I'll be sure to post them soon.

I'll be keeping up with the blog sporadically- I may have another trip down to Powell River Project next month for an extension program about birds on minelands. Apparently this group thinks that birds don't use these areas, therefore it would be my job to tell them otherwise:)

August salamanders and snakes

Well things have been primarily office-based for the last few weeks. I was able to turn in my progress report last week, which was a huge relief! Although, that means that now it's on to the comprehensive report and associated documents (a.k.a. the thesis). Eeek.


This past Thursday, we made a day trip down to the sites to check coverboards. Salamander activity is generally slow in the heat of summer, but it has been rather stormy, so we thought we'd give it a shot. We found only one salamander- a longtail, and proceeded to continually torture him by trying to stage the perfect picture. We also flipped over one of the boards and found....a SNAKE! Luckily, it was a worm snake (very small and completely harmless). Therefore, we proceeded to barage him with pictures as well (see below).

I've got one more official trip down scheduled for September 3. Each year the Powell River Project site hosts a symposium, which is like a workshop where all the researchers doing work there come together to talk about results and stuff. Plus, there is a social and dinner that takes place at the pavilion on site (right next to the field house we stayed in for the first 10 days of the season). Since I just finished and don't have a whole lot of results yet, I'm going to check coverboards in the earlier part of the day, and then hit up the social to schmooze the coal mine executives (and thank them for the funding!).

Enjoy the pictures!

For more info on the longtail salamander: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/?s=020033
For more info on the worm snake: http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/caramo.htm

Me and the longtail salamander

Longtail salamander, Eurycea longicauda

Some coverboards in action (this array is where we found the longtail).

Worm snake, Carphophis amoenus

Bye bye birdies...

I'm afraid I've been negligent with my blog over the past couple of weeks! It's been busy to say the least. Well, 10 days after my last post we finished the bulk of work associated with field season. I was away for a few days in there for a wedding, but other than that, we really crammed the work in! It stormed a little bit the last two days we were there, so we were able to get in one more frog count, and one night salamander search. Unfortunately, the salamanders weren't too active and we only found a few.

We came back to Blacksburg on July 10, and since then I've been all over visiting and collecting Abby (my dog) from my parents. I'm now spending some time in the office organizing data and preparing my 2008 progress report, which is due in early August. Since I've already got one progress report under my belt, should be a piece of cake (*knock on wood)!

I have to say that "the end" came as a relief this year. Work is physically and mentally exhausting out there, so I was desperately in need of a break. Although, it is kind of bittersweet, since my coal mine experience is "almost" over. I'll probably regret saying that as I wade through the data and begin to write my thesis...

I've included a few more pictures for you! We'll likely be visiting the sites a few more times for salamander work, so I will continue updating, although it will be a bit irregularly:)

Box turtle enjoying some mud.

Looks like the Hokie bird himself has been here....(gobble gobble).

They're always watching....waiting to get a lick at the car...

These big rock walls are typical of older mine sites that weren't formally "reclaimed."

Rattlesnake Video

Birch Knob Observation Tower...and a Timber Rattlesnake!!

Yesterday I had some free time, so I took a drive up to Birch Knob Observation Tower in the Jefferson National Forest. The tower is at an elevation over 3,000 ft., and you can see 5 states from it's summit (Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, and sometimes even Ohio on a clear day!). Although the day was a bit overcast, it was still quite a view! I also found a lost dog stuck at the top of the tower, but luckily I was able to call his owner from the information on his tag and let him know where he was. Seems that Kane the dog was from Kentucky and had been lost a few days ago while his owner was out hunting with him. I was glad he was able to make it home safely!

Today we were out doing salamander coverboard checks- the weather finally cleared, as this is the first day in 5 that we have not had any thunderstorms. I think all the reptiles were enjoying the sunny but still fairly cool weather (upper 70s). We found a timber rattlesnake in the dirt road while driving around checking the boards! He (or she) was real pretty, and we were glad we got to see it up close and personal in a safe way.


I took some good pictures, enjoy!

The staircase leading up to the observation tower. There are 183 steps!

View of Pine Mountain from the top of the tower. Pine Mtn. separates Kentucky (left) from Virginia (right). The tower is actually in Va.

View from the top of Birch Knob Tower. Va and then Tennessee in the distance, I think.

Timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus. Love the scientific name! He's rattling at us in this one.

Attempting to move off the road after rattling at us for 10min.

Making a break for cover.

The Magic School Bus

Yup, that's right a big yellow school bus. We found it yesterday at one of my sites called Wildcat Spur. The cows that are grazed on site are transported up the mountain and between pastures in the back of an old rickety school bus up steep, rough dirt roads. I don't know how this is possible, but you can see for yourself in the pictures! If anyone has seen the movie or heard about the book Into the Wild, this bus reminds me of the one the guy lives in while he's in the Alaskan wilderness.

Into the Wild, right here in Dickenson County, Va!!

Long time gone.

Wow, it's been over a week! I have really been slacking. Well last weekend we were in Blacksburg for some R&R, so not a whole lot has been going on. The weather has been good, so we are moving along with bird surveys (only 4 early mornings left over the next couple of weeks). We're trying to focus on getting some other work completed, since we are planning on moving out around July 11. Depending on whether it rains for the rest of the summer, I'll be back and forth occassionally. Now work just consists of checking coverboards for salamanders, doing some site descriptions, and marking points of interest in addition to my survey points (like human impacted areas, active mining, gas wells, etc.) into the GPS units. In addition to field work, we're trying to get all the data entered into a computer spreadsheet before we leave here to make compiling things easier once I get back to Blacksburg.

Well, I've got some more pictures for you. Hope you like!

Wild horses near our one clearcut site. Seems like we deal with livestock more than wildlife sometimes!

Our friends, the cows. The gate is new and this site is now being grazed as of a few days ago (surprise for me!).

Some butterflies hanging out together enjoying the mud.

Interesting track pattern...

Close up. Can you guess the culprit?

Salamander survey and recreation

Well, Saturday it rained ALL day, so it was wet enough to do a night search for salamanders and do a frog call survey. We left the house about 8:30pm and completed 4- 20 minute searches in 4 different cover types. We ended up finding 6 salamanders, which is great! They were weighed, measured, and promptly released. When it's raining or very wet out at night, salamanders that normally burrow into leaf litter or underground come out to feed. It's pretty neat that they are just out walking around! Salamander searching is certainly different from our early birding mornings, stumbling around in the woods in the dark, but it's certainly something different to do. We worked until about midnight Saturday, so we were down for the count Sunday morning and decided to hold off on continuing bird surveys until today.

In recreational news, today we visited High Knob Recreational Area in the Jefferson National Forest, and Flag Rock Park in Norton. Both of these places are probably only about 20 minutes away from Wise. High Knob was really neat- there was a high elevation natural lake that was open to swimming, but minimally impacted by people. We were the only ones there, so it was nice and quiet. We saw newts, fish, and even a couple of water snakes (not close by though, no worries)! We also took a 1 mile hike up to the observation tower (supposedly you can see 5 states from up there- VA, KY, TN, NC, and WV) only to find out that the observation tower burnt down awhile back and is no longer there! It was still a really nice hike though.

Flag Rock is a rocky overlook above the City of Norton (not really a city, in my opinion). An American flag is flying from a rock over the city. You can see for miles around from here, it was amazing! The streets of Norton used to spell out the city's name. It's hard to see in pictures, but you can sort of make it out!

Here are some pictures, enjoy!

Longtail salamander, Eurycea longicauda, captured and successfully released during sampling.

High Knob Lake

Flag Rock Viewing area, overlooking Norton, Va

Flag Rock

Can you see that the streets spell "NORTON?" Yeah, use your imagination!

No news is good news!

Not much new here! Charlotte saw a young bear yesterday while birding- probably a yearling. He was walking around near the road, while lots of coal trucks ran right by him! Yesterday I saw a female turkey and 6 poults (i.e., baby turkeys). I wish I was quick enough to snap a picture, but I flushed them up out of the field and they were gone in a flash.

Birding is going well, it has been hot and dry here for the past week- but the amphibians are in need of some rain! We've got about 3.5 weeks left of birding, after which the breeding season will be functionally over and territories start to break up. Once birds are finished breeding, their detection by song becomes very unreliable, so surveying must be completed by then. The amphibian work could continue through September if the weather stays fairly wet. When it's hot and dry, salamanders are pretty much hanging out underground, and wouldn't be detected in our surveys.

Well, that's about it! More pictures to come soon:)

Coal is loaded up and ready to go!

One of my sites, Wildcat Spur. The grassy area in front was mined- it used to be similar to the surrounding mountains. Currently it is being grazed by cattle.

Coming in to get a closer look (and probably lick the vehicle).

Some Texas Longhorns enjoying the reclaimed grassland.

Longhorn, up close and personal.

Natural Tunnel State Park

Today we took a little recreational trip down to Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, Va. It was pretty neat!

Some info about the tunnel from Natural Tunnel State Park website (http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/nat.shtml):

Natural Tunnel, called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by William Jennings Bryan, has been attracting sightseers to the mountains of southwestern Virginia for more than 100 years. Today it is the focal point of Natural Tunnel State Park, a park which offers visitors not only spectacular sights but also swimming, camping, picnicking, hiking, a visitor center, an amphitheater and interpretive programs.

The creation of Natural Tunnel began more than a million years ago in the early glacial period when groundwater bearing carbonic acid percolated through crevices and slowly dissolved surrounding limestone and dolomite bedrock. Then, what is now Stock Creek was probably diverted underground to continue carving the tunnel slowly over many centuries. The walls of the tunnel show evidence of prehistoric life, and many fossils can be found in the creek bed and on tunnel walls.

See the pictures below!

The Natural Tunnel from above.

From above again.

You can see the ski lift along the edge of the cliff. We took this down to see the tunnel up close.

The tunnel observation area.

Venomous things and other tales

Hello blog readers-

I thought I would provide some more pics for you today (see below). The cicadas are cooking, and so are we, as a matter of fact. It is 97 down here today, which is incredibly warm for the Central Appalachians. We are expecting temperatures in the 90s for the next 5 days!

So I am sure you are wondering about the venomous things as indicated by the title. I had two close calls in the venomous category recently. Well yesterday I was just inches from stepping on a copperhead snake at one of my sites! I am lucky that I saw him and could stumble backwards in time! Really, I think he just startled me more than actually being a threat. Very pretty snake, although this time I didn't stick around to get a picture. I was walking in very tall grass (almost as tall as me now, because of all the rain), so I proceeded for the rest of the morning with extreme caution (probably a bit too much caution, as it took me forever to finish my route).

My second poisionous experience was with this catepillar that has a pretty serious bite. Chris got tagged by one last year and he said it hurt pretty badly, plus the bite swelled up a bit (kind of looked like a beesting). I grabbed onto a tree to help step down a steep area, and then realized that my hand was right next to this thing on the tree trunk.

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet. Today we did some habitat work in a clearcut, which is the worst possible thing anyone could do with all the briars and thick vegetation! We only got one plot done because they take so long, and you end up coming out with tons of scratches. Plus it was really hot out there today with no shade!

Slimy salamander, Plethodon glutinosus, found under a coverboard.

Picture perfect coyote track (the GPS is about 5 in. long).

Eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina.

The cows must have tipped over their water bucket...

And look what was inside!

The 17-year cicada has emerged!

So today was the first day that we noticed this deafening trill while we were birding this morning. "Seems kind of early for cicadas," I said. Well believe it or not, 2008 is the 17-year cicada emergence year in the East. Yup their life cycle is SEVENTEEN years long. And of course their mass emergence is tied to my second field season. Hopefully they don't get any louder because we won't be able to hear the birds! Watch out, Brood XIV is back (and hasn't been here since 1991)!

For more info and pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magicicada

The promised pictures...finally!

Well, we now have internet after 24 days in the field. Hopefully now we can keep a better eye on the weather and save me the aggravation of driving for 2 hours beginning and 4am and arriving to a site on which it happens to be RAINING.

Not much is new- we had our first weekend off this past weekend after 21 days of work. We traveled to Blacksburg to take care of some things there. It was certainly nice to have a break, but really hard to get back to work early this morning! I am hoping that since June has arrived we will see some sunny skies and warm days after this long in the field. This week is the Virginia-Kentucky District Fair in Wise, so we'll be attending tomorrow afternoon! I'll be seeing Bucky Covington perform in the evening.

Hope you enjoy the pictures- I've got to catch up! As always, feel free to post questions or comments on any of the blogs. I'll be sure to stay more current now!

Powell River Project- Virginia strip mining at its best.

The field house at Powell River. And our trusty X-terra.

The "trusty" X-terra. I don't really like driving it- the Jeep was way better!



Cows + X-terra before...


X-terra after. A new meaning of "cowlick." Can't explain why they do this!

A beautiful wild orchid.