Wake up herpers! The slums of winter are over. These warm rains bring the breeding migrations for several of our iconic species. I have noted several species in the last few days, and there are several more to come. So, here is my list of what to expect for on our next warm wet night. In addition I have found Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, and Eastern Red-backed Salamanders, but I will only include species that are moving to breed in this winter time frame. I will make predictions on migration start dates, and grade myself on start dates. My predictions will be based on weeks with February 1-7 being Week #1, 8-14 is week #2, 15-21 is week #3, and 22-28 being week #4. Personal Finds for February Week #1Eastern American Toad
Spring Peeper
Upland Chorus Frog
Spotted Salamander
Mole Salamander
Southern Two-lined Salamander
Reported Species Moving February Week #1Tiger SalamandersI have gotten reports that Tiger Salamanders where on the move February 3rd form one of our photo contributors on this site. This is the right time of year. There are probably sites yet to be discovered that have Tiger Salamanders, so if you think you have found a one, please report it to our Herp ID Form on the "Herp ID Help" tab. We do want you to submit the observation to iNaturalist as well, but we want to take precautions to protect this endangered species. All that said, we may could make the process easy if it is just a case of misidentification, as Spotteds are often confused for Tigers. Predictions for FebruaryFowler's Toad
Southern Toad
Mountain Chorus FrogPrediction: March Week #1 I really do not have a ton of experience with these small frogs, but they seem to run a few weeks later than their sister species, likely due to a cooler climate. I predict these to start calling late February to mid March this year. New Jersey Chorus FrogsSouthern Chorus FrogsPrediction: February Week #3 Southern Chorus Frogs usually breed at the same time as Uplands. I presume they will be active during the next warm rain. Their range is very restricted though and the know areas are quite rural, so it is probably not a species you will find in your area. Brimley's Chorus Frog
Wood Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog
Kauffeld's Leopard FrogEastern Spadefoot
Jefferson's SalamanderPrediction: February Week #3 If this species hasn't started now, I expect them to in next warm, heavy rain. Keep in mind, the higher in elevation, the later this species will breed. Mabee's SalamanderPrediction: Already Breeding These should still be breeding, but they may start as early as late December. They are so rare however, so we are not sure their full breeding range. Four-toed Salamander
Northern Two-lined SalamanderPrediction: February Week #1 This species seems pretty well in sync with the Southern Two-lined Salamander, so I assume they are moving now or very soon. Red-spotted NewtPrediction: Already Breeding I haven't found any yet this year, due to a lack of searching, but they were looking quite nice in December so I am beyond confident they are breeding now. So, these are my thoughts for this year. I plan on keeping a list of what is found when, and coming back and grading my predictions, so keep an eye out for that. If you find one of these species, post it on iNaturalist, and I will pull the first reports from there. Keep in mind I may be wrong, but I want to know when I am wrong, to better predict in the future for all of you looking to see your first Spotted Salamander or Kauffeld's Leopard Frog. Eventually, we may be able to build a table or calendar with this data as a quick guide to migration schedules. Good Herps!
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