American woodcock (a.k.a. Timberdoodle)

On March 1st I had a phone message from an island hunter/birder who was stalking the beginning of spring; he related, “.tonight I heard a woodcock for the first time, out in the east lot, peenting away on the ground, I thought it was a very good sign.”

American woodcock are in fact one of the first signs that the transition from winter to spring has occurred. Woodcock, which feed by probing their long slightly flexible bills into the ground searching for worms, grubs and beetles, primarily winter in southeastern United States. If the winter is mild, leaving boggy patches of earth accessible, the American woodcock may occasionally winter as far north as coastal southern New England. In late winter, Woodcock follow the frost line north to establish summer and breeding territories in moist woodland habitats throughout most of central and eastern United States and southeastern parts of Canada.

American woodcock, often called timberdoodle, is a very unusual looking bird with equally unusual habits, and a myriad of adaptations. The long flexible bill is used for probing and pinching out of the ground its food. It has large eyes placed towards the back of the head – ideal for keeping a lookout while the bill is in the ground. Mottled plumage of many shades of rust, brown and gray makes the bird almost indistinguishable from the leaf litter of its favored habitats. Woodcock, a bird most active at twilight, is rarely seen unless it is nearly stepped on, whereupon it will flush to the air almost within reach of your startled body.

The other time when a woodcock is likely to be observed is during its elaborate courtship ritual; but it is the call of the woodcock that will first attract your attention. The American woodcock will make several nasal peenting sounds before it launches into the air, spiraling up to 300 feet and then returning to the ground in what can only be described as a controlled fall. While in the air a twittering sound emanates from the bird – a combination of vocal calls and wind flowing through specially designed wing feathers functioning as musical reeds. Listen to the American woodcock. (Real Player required)

The sight and sound of the woodcock’s sky dance cannot be adequately described. One needs to observe the phenomena to fully comprehend the intricacy, absurdity and wonder of the performance. So, pick a warm still evening in early April, head towards an open field (if it has a low boggy area, all the better), walk and listen for the telltale “peent” or “zeeeep“, and then try to see (moonlit nights will be best) nature’s whirling dervish – the American woodcock.

For more information about the American woodcock, search the web, visit enature.com or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

American woodcock sound from The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York.

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Mole Salamanders
(written by Mark Erelli)

The mole salamanders belong to the family Ambystomatidae, and are represented in the New England region by four main species: the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), the blue-spotted salamander (A. laterale), the Jefferson salamander (A. jeffersonianum), and the marbled salamander (A. opacum). Herpetologists have long debated about the taxonomic status of blue-spotted and jefferson salamanders. Both are now recognized as their own species, although it is thought that they evolved into two species when populations of a common ancestral species were separated by glaciers during the last Ice Age. After the glaciers melted, the two species came into contact again and interbred, producing hybrids with three or four sets of chromosomes (“triploid” or “tetraploid”, as opposed to organisms with two pairs of chromosomes referred to as “diploid”). These hybrids are difficult to tell apart from jefferson and blue spotted salamanders, without performing genetic analyses. Blue spotted salamanders are generally blue-black and sprinkled with small blue spots, while Jefferson salamanders tend to be more brown with fewer blue or gray spots on the body. In contrast, both the yellow spotted and marbled salamanders are easy to identify. Spotted salamanders are distinguished by two dorsal rows of big yellow spots. Marbled salamanders have bands of white, grey, or silver on their backs.

Mole salamanders get their name from their subterranean habits (they are commonly found in underground tunnels and burrows produced by small mammals), and their ability to burrow under rocks, logs, moss, and other vegetative debris. It is here they spend their days foraging for a variety of invertebrates, ranging from earthworms to snails to both larval and adult insects. Most of the year, these stout-bodied animals are quite secretive and are unlikely to be seen unless you are actively searching for them. Fortunately for the naturalist who seeks to observe the habits of these secretive and fascinating creatures, there are certain times during the year when it is possible to observe these animals in high numbers.

In early spring, when the snow is melting, the ground is thawing out, and nighttime temperatures edge above freezing, mole salamanders make their migrations on rainy nights to ephemeral and permanent woodland pools where they congregate in large numbers to breed (note: marbled salamanders are the only species of mole salamander in our area which migrate to breeding pools in autumn). These migrations occur primarily on rainy nights, and individuals may migrate to woodland pools from as far as 120 m away, and tend to return to the ponds where they were born. These pools are usually dry for a portion of the year, thus insuring the lack of fish which prey upon salamander eggs and larvae, and fill up with spring rains, snow melt, and rises in the water table (hence the term “vernal” pool). Anyone who has not witnessed such a migration will most certainly be amazed by the scale of the phenomenon, which may involve hundreds of salamanders! Once in the ponds, the males will leave their spermatophores on the pond floor, where they will be picked up by the female and used to fertilize her eggs. Eggs are laid in masses which range from the size of golf balls to that of tennis balls, depending upon the species.

Salamander eggs are surrounded by a matrix of jelly, which distinguishes them from frog egg masses in which single eggs are merely clustered together. These eggs will hatch in four to seven weeks, and larvae will feed on small invertebrates in the pond until they metamorphose and move onto land in the autumn.

Spring migrations of mole salamanders are a fascinating and awe-inspiring event, for both children and adults alike. These migrations, however, can put salamanders in danger. During migration, salamanders may have to cross roads which have been made through wetlands or forests and can be run over by unsuspecting motorists. In addition, the small, ephemeral pools in which they breed might be regarded as “insignificant puddles” and filled in by developers or homeowners. You can help mole salamanders by being alert for migrations across roads when driving on rainy nights in early spring. Massachusetts also has a certification program run by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, which alerts the state to the existence of a vernal pool and provides information which may be used by the state to prevent irresponsible development in and around ponds which mole salamanders use for breeding.

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