North section - 12/07/2023

Thursday, 9:15-11:50 pm. 139 dead newts, no live ones
Weather: Cold. It rained last night in San Jose.
Coverage: Jones trailhead to the second stop sign. I walked alone.
I documented 139 dead newts, many of them were fresh. At least 35 were juveniles. 74 newts (16 juveniles) were found on the hill side of the road, and 65 (19 juveniles) on the reservoir side.
Other roadkill: an arboreal salamander, toad, millipedes, centipedes, Jerusalem crickets, snails and slugs.
Traffic - 44 cars, 8 trucks (including County Parks, County Roads, Midpen, SJJJ), 0 motorcycles, 1 bike, 12 pedestrians, 15 parked cars (0 cars at the farther parking lot).
Near the new Midpen property I stopped to look at the birds - Merlin identified at least 7 bird species, and there was also a little woodpecker that hopped up and down a (poison oak?) twig close to the ground, trying to get all the insects from it.
My observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?captive=any&on=2023-12-07&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any
***** I got some good news today while walking the road -- "Midpen awarded $2.1 million grant from Wildlife Conservation Board to advance newt passage project near Los Gatos"!

Publicado el 08 de diciembre de 2023 por merav