{"id":15733,"date":"2015-04-07T17:41:08","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T22:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=15733"},"modified":"2015-04-07T17:41:08","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T22:41:08","slug":"early-spring-critters-battle-lingering-april-chill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=15733","title":{"rendered":"Early Spring Critters Battle Lingering April Chill"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-000-960.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15742\" title=\"post wood frog 2015 000 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-000-480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-000-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-000-480-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) in SouthCoast Massachusetts<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We suspect that most folks associate spring frog emergence with the chirpy soprano voice of the Spring Peeper (<em>Pseudacris crucifer) a<\/em>nd, no doubt, they are a delightful sign of the changing season. \u00c2\u00a0So far, we have heard a few isolated peepers in this far too cold April, but not yet in a concentrated volume that would herald SPRING with a capital S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZeagAarJD18\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em><strong>Haunting Wood Frog Chorus from St. Patrick&#8217;s Day, 2012<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZeagAarJD18\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>IF YOU HAVE AN iPAD &amp; CAN&#8217;T SEE VIDEO, CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To our ears, though, bursting springtime is more aptly reflected in the explosive chorus of croaking wood frogs, whose voices are more akin to a heavy metal band than a soaring falsetto choir. \u00c2\u00a0The video clip above comes from March 17th, 2012, and illustrates the profound difference between gentle peepers and raucous wood frogs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-002-960.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15744\" title=\"post wood frog 2015 002 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-002-480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-002-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-002-480-300x233.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Camouflaged Wood Frog\u00c2\u00a0<em><strong>(Lithobates sylvaticus)<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em><strong><em><strong><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000; text-align: justify;\">As we patrolled a local bog on Monday, we almost literally stumbled over this well camouflaged wood frog, hopping from woodland wetlands to mating aggregation. \u00c2\u00a0Sue Wieber Nourse fortunately spotted the frog as Rufus the Turtle Dog and Don Lewis blithely strolled on by.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-005-960.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15746\" title=\"post wood frog 2015 005 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-005-480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-005-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-wood-frog-2015-005-480-180x300.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em><strong>Wood Frog Croaks Magically<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As Don examined the wood frog, it croaked magically, echoing the insistent calls emanating from the nearby mating aggregation. Snapshot documented, we quickly released the frog to hop into the murky wetlands and join the boisterous band.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-profile-000-extreme-closeup-960.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15738\" title=\"post spotted turtle 131 profile 000 extreme closeup 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-profile-000-extreme-closeup-480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-profile-000-extreme-closeup-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-profile-000-extreme-closeup-480-300x272.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em><strong>11-Year-Old Female Spotted Turtle <em><strong>(Clemmys guttata)<\/strong><\/em>\u00c2\u00a0#131<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By this time in April, we should see dozens of spotted turtles mingling in local mating aggregations. \u00c2\u00a0Instead, we have captured a total of four spotted turtles, two males and two females, all of which were basking for heat or transiting from woodlands to bog. \u00c2\u00a0Air temperatures have lingered in the 30s and 40s, and the water still has icy patches. \u00c2\u00a0The forecast calls for more of the same until Friday, when finally we may see some salamander action &#8230; with any luck.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-female-plastron-001-960.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15736\" title=\"post spotted turtle 131 female plastron 001 480\" src=\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-female-plastron-001-480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"783\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-female-plastron-001-480.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/post-spotted-turtle-131-female-plastron-001-480-183x300.jpg 183w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em><strong>Female Spotted Turtle (Note small, thin tail and bright, colorful neck)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also on Monday, we captured female spotted turtle #131 basking along the bank of the future mating aggregation. \u00c2\u00a0We first captured this female on 2 May 2014. \u00c2\u00a0Since then, she has gained 11 grams and has grown by about 3 millimeters. \u00c2\u00a0She currently weighs 185 grams and her carapace stretches 10.66 centimeters straight line length, making her a very healthy young lady. \u00c2\u00a0You can determine her gender by her thin, small tail and her bright colorful neck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) in SouthCoast Massachusetts We suspect that most folks associate spring frog emergence with the chirpy soprano voice of the Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) and, no doubt, they are a delightful sign of the changing season. \u00c2\u00a0So far, we have heard a few isolated peepers in this far too cold April, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[402,23,826],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15733"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15733"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15776,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15733\/revisions\/15776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}