Herping season starts early this year!

[Sushigaijin]

Chicago experienced some torrential rain (still bailing my basement out!) and upper 40's temps over the weekend, and today I found an hour between picking my car up from the shop and being stuck at...I mean, spending quality time with my bride...so I went out to a local pond that supports a healthy population of ambystoma laterale.

The ground is thawed but the pond isn't.



No matter, I found 4 laterale in about twenty minutes. This spot will produce handfuls in a couple of weeks so the emergence is just beginning. This last week was the first week that we've been consistantly above freezing despite a couple of REALLY nice and warm days two weeks ago.

With habitat.



Two flashes, courtesy of my poverty wizards. Not sure I am totally sold on flash photography. I have to work with it some more and figure out how to make it look less, flashed. Being able to shoot at f/14, 1/200 and ISO100 on a downright dreary overcast day is kind of a novelty but I'm still not happy with the "look." Maybe next time I'll move the flashes back a little and shoot with my 50-200 (100-400).





It can only get better from here!!

[Loupey]

You know how to find 'em!

Have you considered getting/making a portable light tent to put over the subject. I bet the soft lighting would help minimize the "flashed look" and bring out the detail at the same time.

Would be perfect with a 2 strobe set up. Unfortunately, you may need an assistant or at least one more arm.

[Dylan8i]

nice, those are the guys i wanna see. id think a small diffuser for each flash ( and move back a bit) would help.


i didn't make it out this weekend, i wanted to, but it didn't really rain much, (just sunday morning). hopefully soon.

[paulnj]

What is the common name of that awesome looking salamander?

[Dylan8i]

blue spotted... what other name would it have :-D

[paulnj]

blue spotted... what other name would it have :-D

I thought so. They are an endangered species in NJ I think.

[Sushigaijin]

I thought so. They are an endangered species in NJ I think.

It's possible, but I can't say for sure. I know they are protected over some parts of their range. They are the most common salamander in Cook county (Chicago). That kind of thing happens all the time; bird voiced treefrogs and green watersnakes are both protected in Illinois under the ESA, but they are dirt common in parts of florida...

Blue spotted salamanders are indeed awesome looking, but they are probably the most difficult to photo herp I've ever encountered. They are super docile, even downright sluggish, but the tones are amazingly hard to capture.

[paulnj]

I just checked and they are indeed endangered in NJ from habitat destruction mostlikely.

Some pretty neat info here if you care to read about them in NJ. I know where they are speaking about in "morris county". it's a NWR

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/...salamander.pdf

[Dylan8i]

humm i always though that jeffersons were east and blue spotteds were west...

one of the biggest dangers to both species is the hybridization between them... although this is a natural phenomenon.
also my aunt and uncle live in morris plains, i may have to go looking for them next time i'm out there.

[paulnj]

Let me know Dylan and I will join you.