Vernal Pool / Amphibian Notes - Shelton, Connecticut

All names are my nicknames

Ryan's Pool: Location: Abbey Wright Open Space, next to the road across the street from #151 Nell's Rock Rock (near L'Hermitage Condominiums). Close to the High School, this site might make a good study project for a science class.

Description: Medium to small in size, partly open canopy, no outlet (need to double check this). Marked on City map as a wetland area; no outlet shown. Located at the corner of a 55 acre open space parcel, so there are permanently protected upland areas nearby. There are some larger wooded swamps located within the open space, providing possible linkage to other amphibian populations.

February 1998: Hummocks with sphagnum and sweet pepperbush; blue flag iris; skunk cabbage. Bottom mostly barren, obviously wet for much of the year; water about one foot deep near the middle where I waded. I collected a sample of leaves and mud on February 6. Unidentified bug-critter which I thought was a fairy shrimp (it's not). PH was 5.

March 28: Very warm (70's or 80's), about 5:00 p.m. Walked pool and found four egg sacks (took pictures). Cut off a few eggs off of the first and I'm growing them. Eggs hatched indoors on April 14, and appear to be wood frogs. Also caught a spotted turtle and took pictures. Heard peepers from this pond. PH was 5. 

Pollywog Puddle: Little dippy road puddle located right on Nell's Rock Trail, not far from the entrance. 

In 1997, my son and I collected a few tadpoles and a salamander larvae from the puddle, raised them part way and let them go. Did not identify.

March 29, 1998 (a very warm day): Puddle: I saw spermatophors and took pictures. Also saw a small brown frog (wood frog?).

April 12: 60 degrees outside and water is like a warm bath.  Nearby swamp water is ice cold. Took pictures of salamander eggs (two clumps) and toad eggs.

Nell's Swamp: The swamp that Nell's Rock Trail circles (large). 

Swamp: I walked the swamp with rubber boots. Found two egg sacks (wood frog?); heard a slide/plop like a turtle from an island; saw (barely) lots of small frogs; and watched two red shouldered hawks going bonkers above the swamp. Never saw hawks do that before - they were very excited/agitated, circling around the swamp, calling yelling and flying weird.

There is a small stream outlet, but this dries up the in the summer.

Ecklund Creek:  Egg masses (salamander?) visible from Vivek's bridge and along stream, not far from where I saw salamanders on Oak Valley Road in the rain (April 5, 1998).  This is the stream that flows into Hope Lake (Nell's Rock Reservoir).

Ecklund Pond:  Located on the Ecklund O.S., this pond drains into Hope Lake (Nell's Rock Reservoir) via  a small stream.  April 14, 1998, several egg masses in the pond and in the stream near the pond.  Look like salamander eggs.  Frog jumped into pond.

J Pond (on the Spooner property; Dominick Trail extension crosses over it). 30' x 50' x 1' deep max., in the shape of a J, adjacent or part of a large red maple swamp.  No outlet.

About a dozen  egg masses grouped together on a stick.  The egg masses varied in appearance; some looked like salamander eggs.  A frog jumped in the pool and I saw a small salamander crawling on the bottom, possibly a red-spotted newt (fawn colored with a few black spots on the back, about 3" long).  Took a picture of eggs on April 12.

Stewart Pond: On the Stewart Road portion of Oak Valley Trail; large tire ruts in the old road often filled with water.  The trail was rerouted around the pool.  On April 5, saw about 8 egg masses which look like salamander eggs, and spermatophors on the bottom of the pool.

1998 Calendar:

February 1998. Very warm winter. I saw some time of salamander crawling through very shallow, weedy water at Hope Lake (Nell's Rock Reservoir). It was not a spotted salamander; not sure what it was.

March 28 - 30, 1998. Sudden hot spell. Found four eggs sacks in one pool, two in another. Frog calls have been going like crazy. Salamander spermatophors in Puddle. I also heard wood frogs (quack), peepers (peep), toads (trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiil) and some other type of frog.

April 1, 1998: Spring 1998 migration night

8:00 - 9:30 p.m.; first day of rain after six days of record breaking warmth (upper 80's).

8:00 Buddington Road: The frogs are hopping all over the place! I think I may have run over a few.

Oak Valley Road: I saw two or three spotted salamanders (one was very large) crossing the road, and took a picture of one.

Pollywog Puddle & Nell's Rock Trail: Pouring rain. I looked at the puddle, which appear deserted. After a minute, however, some spotted salamanders appeared from the bottom. After a minute or so, the salamanders were "boiling" up from the bottom, appearing and disappearing. There were at least a dozen, but there could have been much more. A toad began to trill a few feet away from me, and I walked right up to him with the flashlight on. He never stopped, and his throat was all puffed out. I then walked down to the big swamp and checked the shoreline, but didn't see anything. When I went back to the puddle, there was no activity at all. The rain had stopped so I wanted to get a picture, but I was out of luck.

Drove back on Buddington. More activity, and lot's of squished things. Stopped and rescued a few salamanders.

Shelton Avenue: Drove the length of Stewart Woods and Shelton Lakes looking for amphibians, but didn't see anything until the far end of Shelton Lakes (north end), where I found a frog (leopard/pickerel?). Drove back again and didn't see anything.

Drove Mill Street - Nothing.

Went back on Buddington Ave. For a few hundred yard there were dozens of squished spotted salamanders and wood frogs (I got out of the car and positively ID'd). This was near #274 Buddington.

Grace Lane (off Buddington): This cul-de-sac was just recently constructed through a swamp. On it I found a dead salamander, a live salamander, a toad, a live woodfrog, and 2 dead woodfrogs.

Early April:  I spotted egg masses in several ponds and the frogs stopped calling.

April 15: Eggs are developing.

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