Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
FOCUS - JUNE 2015 23 As the warm season awakens in Scugog Township and across Ontario there is more life all around including wild critters and among those the cold- blooded reptiles and amphibians. There is nothing to fear for all of our local species are harmless and in fact quite fascinating. Think of the tiny spring peeper frog encapsulated and dormant in his frozen lair all winter long. With the first rains of spring he emerges from the icy ground and migrates to his favourite breeding pond to sing his heart out in hopes of attracting a mate. How can such a little frog make so much noise Later in the spring the female painted turtle will leave the safety of her pond to march across dry land to find a suitable sandy knoll to lay her eggs. She risks life and limb evading trac as she crosses roads and hopes to escape detection by the nibble keen- nosed raccoon. Many of our reptiles and amphibians are not as common as they used to be for a variety of reasons. Even frogs are no longer heard from some places where they were common in living memory. Currently the Ontario Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project spearheaded by Ontario Nature is trying to document all species of snakes turtles frogs and salamanders across the province to make comparisons with their historic known distributions and see how they are faring overall. Ontario Nature is relying on members of the public to submit observations to get a complete picture. James Kamstra is the local representative of the Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project for Scugog Township and adjacent areas of Durham Region. He would like to know if youve seen any interesting scaly or slimy animals in Northern Durham. If so James would like to hear from you. There are interesting organisms to be found in Lake Scugog Nonquon River Beaver River and other areas. One of the local specialties is the Mink Frog a northern species that is mainly found on the Canadian Shield but thrives in the marshes of Lake Scugog and in the Beaver River. The provincially threatened Blandings turtle lives in some of the Lake Scugog Marshes but there is only one recent record. The diminutive red-bellied snake uncommon in some districts is still quite numerous locally. Northern water snake not always a favourite with cottagers seems to have disappeared from Lake Scugog as there have been no reports in more than 30 years. We are particularly interested in the less common species to know if they are still here. The milk snake has never been seen in Scugog yet probably lives here. Similarly map turtles and musk turtles are known from nearby areas but have never been reported from Lake Scugog. All salamanders appear to be very scarce in Scugog. They spend most of their lives under logs or underground but they breed in ponds in early spring and are probably more widespread than we know. Have you seen any of these Because many reptiles and amphibians live such secretive lives the public can really make a significant contribution. It is important to record the date of any observation and the location as accurately as possible. If you are not sure of the identity of your observation take a photograph if possible or record as many details as you can such as size colour patterns distinctive features etc. Ontario Nature has even produced an App that you can download onto your smart phone so that observations can be submitted from wherever you are. We would even like to know about common species like snapping turtles and garter snakes since there are many gaps in their distributions and who knows what will become rare in the future. Contact James Kamstra with observations or questions you may have. Email james.kamstra powergate.ca or call 905-985-4497. More information about the Ontario Amphibian and Reptile Atlas can be found on the Ontario Nature website at www.ontarionature.orgprotectspecies herpetofaunal_atlas.php. By James Kamstra Special to Focus on Scugog FROGS SNAKES AND TURTLES The mink frog thrives in marshes. The tiny spring peeper frog. Rarely seen milk snake.