January 2023
I took a day trip out to Long Island, New York to search for tiger salamanders. I hiked roughly 12 miles before finally turning up a beautiful tiger salamander at the end of the day. I was also negligent in not recognizing that this was peak duck hunting season and spent the day hiking without high-vis in an area teeming with shotgun fire. On the long hike back I happened to walk by a hole in the wall Mexican pastry store. They made me some of the best tacos I’ve ever had!
Spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus)
Northeast Report 2023
Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
March 2023
Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)
Spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata)
Thamnophis suarita
April 2023
April brought some nice warm days. I made the most of my few days off from work and was able to turn up several of my favorite turtle and amphibian species. I also found an eastern hognose snake in mid April marking the earliest observation for myself in Pennsylvania. I don’t usually make much acknowledgment of these seasonal observations such as these since they bear little biological relevance in the scheme of a changing climate.
Gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor)
Eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platyrhinos)
Spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata)
Spring salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus)
Eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
Wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)
Red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber)
Brown snake (Storeria dekayi)
May 2023
At the beginning of May I decided to make a major upgrade in my photography setup. With it, I began to take pictures of many more bird species and insects. Upgrading my photography setup really rekindled an interest in exploring different biological subjects that I might’ve lost enthusiasm for.
Cecropia moth
Smooth earth snake (Virginia valeriae)
Golden-winged warbler
Smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis)
Eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
Yellow warbler
Ruby-throated hummingbird silhouette
Indigo bunting
Six-spotted tiger beetle
Blue-winged warbler
Rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
Common yellowthroat
Red squirrels
Chestnut-sided warbler
Black and white warbler
Prairie warbler
Lesser yellowlegs
Common yellowthroat
June 2023
Mourning cloak
Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
Laphria thoracica
Great spangled fritillary
Wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)
Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
Milk snake and redbelly snake
Eastern rat snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)
Spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata)
Carrion beetles
Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
Ebony jewelwing
Me wrangling a baby skunk
Bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii)
Eastern whip-poor-will
July 2023
Tiger swallowtail
Lycaenidae sp.
Hummingbird clearwing
August 2023
September 2023
October 2023
November 2023
