A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California
Click on a picture for a larger view
A California Tiger Salamander Breeding Pond
Seen Each Month Over Several Years
| One picture can never tell the whole story, so these are pictures of a small Contra Costa County pond located at approximately 1,400 feet in elevation (427 meters) as it looked throughout the year, showing how the pond and its surroundings change over the seasons and the years. |
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| In 2013 when Mark Gary began taking photographs of this pond each month to show how it changes during the seasons we did not know that it was going to be the driest year ever recorded since the state began measuring rainfall in 1849. Instead of a look at the pond during typical rainfall years, we show what the pond looked like in the middle of a drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor there was a severe drought in much of California from December 2011 to March 2019, with the most intense drought occuring in July 2014. After a brief return to normal precipitation levels in 2019-2022 were drought years again. Despite an early start to the rainy season in October, in November 2021 the area where the pond is located in Contra Costa County was in an "exceptional drought" the most severe rating given by the U.S. Drought Monitor, but even after a lot more rain, by the end of December the rating was reduced only one level to "extreme drought." After a series of often catastrophic atmospheric river storms dumped record rain and snow in early 2023, the drought was declared over in most of the state. Despite the drought each year, there was still enough water in the pond each December and January for California Tiger Salamanders to breed. In 2021 a rare late October rain storm, the strongest in over a quarter century, filled the pond completely overnight, which caused the salamanders to begin breeding even earlier than normal. |
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| The Pond Over the Years | ||||||||||||||||
| The Pond During Each Month Over the Years | ||||||||||||||||
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| Adult California Tiger Salamander similar to those that breed in the pond. | Click on this picture to see an animated loop of Mark Gary's photographs of the pond during every consecutive month of 2016. (Made by Zachary Cava.) | California Tiger Salamander larva in the pond. © Mark Gary |
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2024 |
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| January 3rd, 2024 © Mark Gary A few CA Tiger Salamander eggs are observed in the pond after a low-level breeding event in December. |
February 1st, 2024 © Mark Gary A few CA Tiger Salamander eggs and Sierran Treefrog eggs were seen but viewing conditions are poor. The pond is overflowing with at least two more atmospheric rivers predicted to move into the area in the next week. |
March 5th, 2024 © Mark Gary A huge rain storm and blizzard in the mountains just passed through the state. Lots of treefrog eggs are visible in the pond. |
Early April, 2024 © Mark Gary After a late snow and lots of rain the pond is still full. Lots of toad and treefrog tadpoles are present, but tiger salamander larvae were not seen. |
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| May 6th, 2024 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae were observed in the pond along with lots of treefrog and toad tadpoles, a red-legged frog, and a rare sighting of a pond turtle. |
June 2nd, 2024 © Mark Gary As the spring above it dries up later than usual the pond finally stops overflowing. Large CA Tiger Salamander larvae are present in the water along with treefrog tadpoles and California Red-legged Frogs. |
July 8th, 2024 © Mark Gary The pond is still full of water with lots of tadpoles, juvenile treefrogs and red-legged frogs, and to eat them, plenty of large predacious diving beetles and Diablo Gartersnakes. |
August 1st,, 2024 © Mark Gary The pond is full of adult California Red-legged Fogs and CA Tiger Salamander larvae are still present but not as many as in previous years. |
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| September 4th, 2024 © Mark Gary Large California Tiger Salamander larvae still visible along with California Red-legged Frog adults and juveniles. |
October, 2024 © Mark Gary | November, 2024 © Mark Gary | December 4th, 2024 © Mark Gary After the first significant rain fell in November, many (presumed) male California Tiger Salamanders were observed in the pond. By the first of December after a period without rain they appeared to have left the pond with no eggs present. |
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2023 |
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| January 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary After an atmospheric river drenched northern California in late December - more than 8 inches of rainfall in a day in some places - the pond is full to the brim. A bomb cyclone dropped even more rain in early January but the overflow channel keeps the pond level from overflowing any more. Before the storms, December brought another egg deposition event, but it remains to be seen if they were washed away by the deluge. |
February 2nd, 2023 © Mark Gary Storms continued to dump record rain on the state in January, causing widespread flooding and mudslides, including in the vicinity of the pond. The full-to-capacity pond was half iced over when this photo was taken and a few eggs were still visible under the ice that may have been deposited weeks previously. |
March 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary Shortly after very cold storms passed through the area dumping more than ten inches of snow, the pond is still partially frozen over. Nevertheless, the California Toads are breeding, with egg strings and two pairs of adults in amplexus observed in the water. |
April 2nd, 2023 © Mark Gary |
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| May 6th, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is full of tadpoles and four-inch-long tiger salamander larvae are very clumsily hunting them. |
June 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is full of amphibians, including CA tiger salamander larvae, assorted tadpoles, and small CA red-legged frogs. |
July 2nd, 2023 © Mark Gary Lots of tiger salamander larvae are visible in the pond including one that could walk out on its own. California Red-legged Frog and Sierran Treefrog Tadpoles are abundant. |
August 10th, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is still full. A lot of CA tiger salamanders have probably left the pond, but there is still a range of size classes in the water along with lots of treefrog metamorphs and CA red-legged frog tadpoles. |
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| September 3rd, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond has more water than it usually does in September while ponds in the surrounding area are surprisingly dry. A few CA red-legged frog tadples and many recently-metamorphosed juveniles were observed, along with some tiger salamander larvae. |
October 5th, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is full of several hundred recently-transformed CA red-legged frogs and CA tiger salamander larvae are still present. |
November 3rd, 2023 © Mark Gary The water level has decreased a little bit, but California Tiger Salamander larvae are still present. It's possible they could overwinter this year. Many young CA Red-legged Frogs are also present. |
December 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary |
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2022 |
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| January 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary This year begins with an overflowing pond containing tiger salamander larvae from eggs laid in October and November and some new eggs laid during the second half of December. Treefrogs have already laid eggs in other nearby ponds. It's going to be a very interesting year. |
February 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary Despite a very dry January, the pond is still as full as possible. Almost all of the visible tiger salamander eggs have hatched. The level of a nearby pond has decrease two feet, stranding many tiger salamander eggs above the water level, but eggs laid lower than two feet down have survived and hatched. |
March 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary Four pairs of California toads in amplexus were observed in the pond, along with treefrog tadpoles and California Tiger Salamander larvae. |
Some new predators have been spotted in the pond - Hooded Mergansers - small diving ducks that feed mostly on fish but also eat other aquatic life including aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles, and frogs. It's possible they are also eating tiger salamander larvae. | |||||||||||||
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| April 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is still full, but little precipitation in March is causing the surroundings to dry up. California Toads bred in early March in larger numbers than we have observed here before. Thousands of tadpoles hatched in mid March but two weeks later they were almost all gone, apparently eaten up by tiger salamander larvae and other predators. Three size classes of tiger salamanders were observed, which correspond with the three spaced breeding events that were observed this season. |
May 3rd, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is still full, which isn't unusual for early May. The largest size class of tiger salamander larvae are already developing dark mottling. |
June 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary A dip-netting survey in late May showed that there were many California Tiger Salamander larvae still in the pond. |
July 5th, 2022 © Mark Gary Lots of very small larvae are observed coming to the surface. |
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| August 11, 2022 © Mark Gary Lots of CA tiger salamander larvae still remain in the pond which is only about 1.5 feet deep at its deepest. |
Mid September, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is dry once again but there are no signs of a die-off of tiger salamander larvae so maybe they were able to transform and move onto land this year. |
Mid October, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is now completely dry. A larger pond nearby was once devoid of salamanders because it was full of large fish. In the last few years the pond dried up completely killing all the fish. California tiger salamander eggs were then observed in the pond. Now, in mid October, the pond still has plenty of water remaining and large juvenile California tiger salamanders with no apparent gills have been observed swimming in the water. It remains to be seen if they will overwinter in the pond or if they will leave when the rains begin. |
November 1, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is still completely dry, though some rain has begun. |
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| December 2nd, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond in this picture is shallow and completely frozen over. After some sparse rainfall the pond returned in early November and a few adults were observed in the water on the 10th. On the 18th ten eggs were observed. By the end of November the water level had shrunk and the eggs were gone. More breeding is expected with a large storm on the way. |
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2021 |
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| January 2nd, 2021 © Mark Gary The pond level has decreased significantly since its mid December peak due to a lack of rainfall. Most of the many California Tiger Salamander eggs observed in mid December that were laid in relatively shallow water are no longer visible after the decrease in pond level. At least one adult remains in the pond. |
February 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary After a good rain event, the pond has filled again. Some adult salamanders were observed in the drying pond a few days before the rain and apparently they bred again because some fresh eggs were observed on the first. At least one adult was still in the pond mid-month. |
March 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary Sierran Treefrogs have started laying eggs in the pond. |
April 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary Small tiger salamander larvae are observed along with treefrog tadpoles, but there's no sign of toad or red-legged frog breeding activity. A dry winter means this will probably be another drought year. |
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| May 3rd, 2021 © Mark Gary The pond is drying up abnormally early. Califiornia Tiger Salamander larvae are still seen in the rapidly diminishing pond, but will they be able to achieve metamorphosis this year before it dries up completely? |
June 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary 52 dead, dying, or doomed California Tiger Salamander larvae were counted in a couple of small puddles that were all that remained of the pond. Contra Costa County and a large part of Northern California are reported to be in an exceptional drought, the highest rating of drought by the U. S. Drought Monitor. There will be no new transformed tiger salamanders this year unless some of them managed to undergo metamorphosis in the past month. |
June 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary Several California Tiger Salamander larvae stranded in the last bit of water remaining the pond. |
July 5th, 2021 © Mark Gary The pond is completely dry as are most of the other small ponds in the vicinity. |
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| August 2nd, 2021 © Mark Gary Once there was a pond here. |
September 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary NOAA is predicting a 70 percent chance of a wet La Nina winter this year, but even if it happens, will it extend far enough south to fill the pond? The lack of water at this time of year is not a problem for the salamanders since they have evolved to live in ephemeral ponds. The dry period prevents salamander predators from taking up residence in the pond which benefits them also. |
October 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary No rain yet, which is not unusual since it typically starts later this month or next. According to CBS News, the California Department of Water Resources reports that a total of 11.87 inches of rain and snow fell during the 2021 water year - October 30th 2020 through September 30th 2021. That's less than half of the annual average of 28.2 inches. (The report measures the average precipitation for the entire state, not this specific location, though conditions here were also exceptionally dry.) You have to go back to 1924 to find a drier year, though the 1977 drought was close. |
October 26th, 2021 © Mark Gary From extreme drought to extreme precipitation overnight. The dry pond has filled with about 4 feet 4 inches of water, as measured by a new hydroperiod stake installed in the pond in September. And even more surprising, the breeding season has already started. Several adult California Tiger Salamanders were observed in the water on the 26th and a few eggs were spotted on the 28th, only four days after the main rain event. The salamanders are not known to enter ponds in October, and November is even a bit early for them, but this year has been an exception due to the unusually heavy precipitation. Two days previous, October 24th, the Bay Area experienced its stongest storm in 26 years (according to the SF Chronicle 10/24/21) the result of a category 5 atmospheric river - tropical moisture pulled northeast from the Pacific Ocean - that was caused by a bomb cyclone, an area of extreme low pressure. This low pressure system tied the record for the all-time lowest pressure measured in a storm in the northeast Pacific. SF Gate.com (10/25/21) shows the 48 hour preciptation totals for 10/24 and 10/25 in Livermore, which is not far from the pond, as 4.28 inches, but since the pond is higher in elevation, it most likely received more than that. (Nearby Mt. Diablo received 8.44 inches in the same 48 hour period.) |
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| October 28th, 2021 © Mark Gary A few rare October eggs are in the pond. |
November 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary A few adult salamanders are still in the pond and even more eggs are visible. California Red-legged Frogs and Sierran Treefrogs have also entered the water. |
December 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary The older eggs are already hatching. |
This tiny larva was observed hatching from its egg and dropping to the pond bottom. Other recently-hatched larvae were observed resting on the bottom, where they were not yet able to swim. © Mark Gary |
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2020 |
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2020 started well with the usual December and January rains filling the pond. February was the driest on record but the pond retained plenty of water throughout the spring. Despite a full pond, ultimately it was a poor year for amphibian breeding, with few juvenile salamanders or frogs observed. The pond dried up completely by August and did not fill again until December. Much of the area near the pond was burned in the fall during the worst fire season on record, but the area immediately surrounding the pond was spared. |
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| Early January, 2020 © Mark Gary California Tiger Salamander eggs laid in mid December are still visible in the pond looking like they're close to hatching. |
February 3rd, 2020 © Mark Gary The first Sierran Treefrog eggs have appeared. |
March 2nd, 2020, after zero rainfall in the entire month of February. (The last time that happened, Abe Lincoln was president.) California Tiger Salamander unfolded embryos observed. Other eggs were observed already hatched on 2/20. © Mark Gary | April 2nd, 2020, with some new greenery after it finally rained a little bit. © Mark Gary |
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| May 1st, 2020. A small amount of toad breeding in area ponds was finally observed in mid April, a single mass of red-legged frog eggs in this pond were destroyed after a few days, probably trampled by cattle, and no tiger salamander larvae have been seen lately. This has not been a good year for area amphibians. © Mark Gary |
June 2nd, 2020. No tiger salamander larvae present. Eggs were laid and they hatched, but none of the larvae appear to have survived. © Mark Gary | July 2nd, 2020. The pond is prematurely dry and free of vegetation, with few amphibians remaining. © Mark Gary | August 3rd, 2020. Nothing but dirt remains. It looks like a larger pond nearby might also dry up this year, which would be unusual. © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| September 16, 2020 © Mark Gary There once was a pond here. Massive wildfires in the region closed access to the pond, but permission was granted to take a picture. Fortunately, the area around the pond was not burned. |
October 2nd, 2020 © Mark Gary The sky is full of haze from massive wildfires burning in the region in what has already become California's worst fire season on record, with the season not yet over. |
November 3rd, 2020 © Mark Gary Still waiting for rain. |
December 1st, 2020 © Mark Gary Usually the pond has begun to fill by now, but not this year. After it finally rained, eggs were observed on 12/17, and more than 400 were visible on 12/26. Adult salamanders were observed swimming in the pond on 12/15 and there were still a few in the water as late as 12/26. |
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2019 |
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The pond in 2019 was very full in January and during the early part of the year, with February being one of the wettest on record for the state. The summer and fall produced little rainfall but the pond never dried out completely. |
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| Early January, 2019. © Mark Gary The pond is full of water and California Tiger Salamander eggs are once again present. |
February 3rd, 2019. California Tiger Salamander and Sierran Treefrog eggs present. © Mark Gary | February 5th, 2019 after light snowfall. © Mark Gary |
Early March, 2019, between rainstorms in a very wet winter. © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early April, 2019. © Mark Gary Even greener than March was. |
Early May, 2019 © Mark Gary. Small tiger salamander larvae, red-legged frogs, and gartersnakes observed. | Early June, 2019 © Mark Gary. Pond is still overflowing. Large larvae present along with predatory gartersnakes. | Early July, 2019 © Mark Gary. The pond level is high for July as it was last year, due to a wet year and maybe the Fall 2017 pond construction. Tiger Salamander larvae, a few tadpoles, and California Red-legged Frogs are visible. | |||||||||||||
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| Early August, 2019 © Mark Gary. There's lots of water left for August and still lots of amphibian activity. California Tiger Salamander larvae, California Red-legged Frog tadpoles, and recently transformed juvenile red-legged frogs and Sierran Treefrogs are also present. | Early September, 2019 © Mark Gary. With plenty of water remaining, the pond is full of recently-metamorphosed California Red-legged Frogs and California Tiger Salamander larvae are still present. |
October 1st, 2019 © Mark Gary. Tiger salamander larvae remain in the pond, which is unusual for October. Many recently-metamorphosed California Red-legged Frogs also remain in the pond. |
November 1st, 2019 © Mark Gary. A mature tiger salamander larva was found near the end of the month, so maybe it will overwinter. Few recently-metamorphosed California Red-legged Frogs remain, perhaps a result of recent cold weather. |
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| December 2nd, 2019, just after the first heavy soaking rain of the season, which began the night of December 1st, after five days of light rain. © Mark Gary. The afternoon of the 3rd, several adult California tiger salamanders were observed swimming in the murky pond. These were probably males awaiting the arrival of females. No sign of eggs or amplexus was observed. No sign of eggs was observed on the 6th. Eggs were first seen on the 9th. Evidence of a larger breeding event was then observed on the 11th, including several adults remaining in the water. |
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2018 |
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Again, despite the state-wide drought, 2018 was another good rainfall year with the pond overflowing in March and not drying out completely again until November. |
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| January 1st, 2018 © Mark Gary The pond is shrinking from lack of rain but a few mature eggs are still visible, either still developing, or maybe they're not viable. |
February 1st, 2018. The pond is full again, and treefrogs are breeding. © Mark Gary | February 27th, 2018 © Mark Gary | March 23rd, 2018 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early April, 2018 © Mark Gary Toad eggs present |
Early May, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae observed eating toad tadpoles. Diablo Range Gartersnake observed eating tiger salamander larva. |
Early June, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae observed hunting tadpoles. |
Early July, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae still observed in pond with tadpoles. |
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| Early August, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae still observed in pond but not tadpoles. |
September 1st, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae still observed in the puddle. |
Early October, 2018 © Mark Gary The pond is reduced to a puddle once again. A cow got stuck in the mud and had to be pulled out, so the puddle has been temporarily fenced off to prevent any more stranded cows. |
Early November, 2018 © Mark Gary Almost completely dry. Temporary fence still in place. |
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| Mid November, 2018 © Mark Gary No rain yet. Temporary cow fence removed. |
Early December, 2018 © Mark Gary After a little rain, the pond is once again ready for salamander breeding. |
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2017 |
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Despite the state-wide drought, 2017 had enough rainfall to keep the pond from completely drying out. In October the pond was bulldozed and a new outflow channel was created on a different side of the pond in an apparent attempt to help the pond retain more water. |
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| Early January, 2017 © Mark Gary Following new heavy rains, the pond contains new CA Tiger salamander eggs. |
Mid January, 2017 © Mark Gary Pond still contains CA Tiger salamander eggs. |
Early February, 2017 © Mark Gary |
Early March, 2017 © Mark Gary Sierran Treefrog eggs are hatched, CA Red-legged Frog egg laying has begun, CA Tiger Salamander larvae are visible. |
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| Early April, 2017 © Mark Gary Sierran Treefrogs have laid more eggs. |
Early May, 2017 © Mark Gary | Early June, 2017 © Mark Gary | Early July, 2017 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Mid July, 2017. CA Tiger Salamander larvae still visible coming up for air. © Mark Gary |
Early August, 2017. Tiger salamander larvae still visible in pond. © Mark Gary | Early September, 2017 © Mark GaryRecord heat, but water still present with many young CA Red-legged frogs seen in the pond. |
Early October, 2017 © Mark Gary |
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| Mid October, 2017 © Mark Gary Heavy equipment has been used to modify the earthen dam that maintains the pond. The outflow channel into the nearby creek has been moved to the other side of the pond and reinforced with rocks. The former outflow channel had eroded to the point that it was keeping the pond at a lower level when it was full. It will be very interesting to observe the pond in the coming years to see if this maintenance causes the pond to increase in size so much that it stops drying out. If the pond does not dry out, that creates the opportunity for American Bullfrogs, which prefer a permanent water source, to move in, which could be disasterous for the tiger salamanders and other amphibians that currently utilize the pond. Fortunately, maybe miraculously, bullfrogs have not yet been found in the permanent pond nearby or in any other nearby pond, to my knowledge. |
Early November, 2017, after the pond has been modified. © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||||
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| December 1st, 2017 © Mark Gary After only a little bit of November rain, the pond again contains some water and a lot of California Tiger Salamander eggs that were probably laid in late November. |
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2016 |
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2016 began with the pond very full until it dried out in October and filled up again by early November. |
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| January 3rd, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger Salamander eggs are present |
January 31st, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger salamander eggs still present |
February 6th, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger salamander embryos with gills are visible. Some have already hatched. |
Early March, 2016 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early April, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early May, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early June, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early July, 2016 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Mid August, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early September, 2016 © Mark Gary For the past three years, the pond has been completely dry in September, but not this year. |
Early October, 2016 © Mark Gary Nothing left but a puddle. |
Mid October, 2016 © Mark Gary The rains have begun. |
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| Early November, 2016 © Mark Gary After a lot of rainfall, news reports are declaring the drought over in Northern California. The pond seems to agree when compared to the lack of water in the three previous Novembers. |
December 3rd, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger salamander eggs were laid this year between November 26th and December 3rd. |
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2015 |
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2015 started with the pond full before it dried up completely in August and filled again in December. |
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| Early January, 2015 (Full of Sierran treefrog eggs and CA Tiger Salamander eggs.) © Mark Gary | Early February, 2015 - no rain since December. © Mark Gary | Early March, 2015 © Mark Gary | Early April, 2015 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early May, 2015. Toxic Blue Green Algae has been discovered. © Mark Gary | Mid May, 2015, after thunderstorms © Mark Gary |
Early June, 2015 © Mark Gary | ||||||||||||||
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| Early July, 2015 © Mark Gary | Early August, 2015 © Mark Gary | Nothing but dirt again, Early September, 2015 © Mark Gary | Early October, 2015 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early November, 2015 © Mark Gary | The pond is filling up, early December, 2015 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||||
2014 |
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2014 started dry but by March there was enough water in the pond for treefrogs and toads to breed. The pond was completely dry in July but in late November and early December a large rain event filled the pond up completely again. |
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| January, 2014 © Mark Gary |
February 1, 2014 © Mark Gary |
February 17, 2014 © Mark Gary After the first large rainstorm in over a year. Sierran Treefrogs quickly laid eggs in the water. Maybe the CA Tiger salamanders will breed this year, after all. |
Early March, 2014 © Mark Gary |
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| Late March, 2014 © Mark Gary |
Mid April, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early May, 2014 © Mark Gary Mark reports seeing California Tiger Salamander larvae in the pond. He heard from an East Bay Parks biologist that tiger salamander larvae have not been seen at most of the known breeding locations this year. |
Early June, 2014 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| June 21, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early July, 2014 © Mark Gary | Mid July, 2014 - dry again © Mark Gary | Early August, 2014 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early September, 2014 © Mark Gary | Mid October, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early November, 2014 © Mark Gary | The pond is full again, early December, 2014 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
2013 (beginning in April) |
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| 2013 began with enough water for a good breeding season, with the pond drying up in August and filling again in December. |
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| April, 2013 © Mark Gary |
May, 2013 © Mark Gary | June, 2013 © Mark Gary | July, 2013 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| August, 2013 © Mark Gary | September, 2013 © Mark Gary | October, 2013 © Mark Gary |
November, 2013 © Mark Gary |
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| December, 2013 © Mark Gary |
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Years Before 2013 |
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| June, 2010 | August, 2010 - As I was trying to photograph tiger salamander larvae in the water, a couple of biologists came and dragged a net through the pond. They found Sierran treefrogs with deformities caused by parasites spread by snails, and they told me that the dreaded chytrid fungus is here, too. | February, 2011 |
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| March, 2011 | May, 2011 | July, 2011 | August, 2011 | |||||||||||||
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| November, 2011 © Mark Gary | January, 2012 (Breeding Season) | September, 2012 © Mark Gary |
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Comparisons of the California Tiger Salamander Breeding Pond During the Same Month of Different Years |
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January |
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| January, 2012 | January, 2014 © Mark Gary | January, 2015 © Mark Gary | ||||||||||||||
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| January 3rd, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger Salamander eggs are present. |
January 31st, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger salamander eggs still present. |
Early January, 2017 © Mark Gary Following new heavy rains, the pond contains new CA Tiger salamander eggs. |
Mid January, 2017 © Mark Gary Pond still contains CA Tiger Salamander eggs. |
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| January 1st, 2018 © Mark Gary The pond is shrinking from lack of rain but a few mature eggs are still visible, either still developing, or maybe they're not viable. |
Early January, 2019 © Mark Gary The pond is full of water and California Tiger Salamander eggs are once again present. |
Early January, 2020 © Mark Gary California Tiger Salamander eggs laid in mid December are still visible in the pond looking like they're close to hatching. The water level is fairly low compared to most Januarys shown here. |
January 2nd, 2021 © Mark Gary The pond level has decreased significantly since its mid December peak due to a lack of rainfall. Most of the many California Tiger Salamander eggs observed in mid December that were laid in relatively shallow water are no longer visible after the decrease in pond level. At least one adult remains in the pond. |
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| January 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary This year begins with an overflowing pond containing tiger salamander larvae from eggs laid in October and November and some new eggs laid during the second half of December. Treefrogs have already laid eggs in other nearby ponds. It's going to be a very interesting year. |
January 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary After an atmospheric river drenched northern California in late December - more than 8 inches of rainfall in some places - the pond is full to the brim. A bomb cyclone dropped even more rain in early January but the overflow channel keeps the pond level from overflowing any more. Before the storms, December brought another egg deposition event, but it remains to be seen if they were washed away by the deluge. |
January 3rd, 2024 © Mark Gary A few CA Tiger Salamander eggs are observed in the pond after a low-level breeding event in December. |
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February |
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| February, 2011 |
Early February, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early February, 2015 © Mark Gary | February 6th, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger salamander embryos with gills are visible. Some have already hatched. |
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| Early February, 2017 © Mark Gary |
February 1st,, 2018 © Mark Gary The pond is full again, and treefrogs are breeding. © Mark Gary |
February 27th,, 2018 © Mark Gary | February 3rd, 2019 © Mark Gary California Tiger Salamander and Sierran Treefrog eggs present. |
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| February 5th, 2019, after light snowfall. © Mark Gary |
February 3rd, 2020 © Mark Gary The first Sierran Treefrog eggs have appeared. |
February 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary After a good rain event, the pond has filled again. Some adult salamanders were observed in the drying pond a few days before the rain and apparently they bred again as some new eggs were observed after the rain. |
February 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary Despite a very dry January, the pond is still as full as possible. Almost all of the visible tiger salamander eggs have hatched. The level of a nearby pond has decrease two feet, stranding many tiger salamander eggs above the water level, but eggs laid lower than two feet down have survived and hatched. |
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| February 2nd, 2023 © Mark Gary Storms continued to dump record rain on the state in January, causing widespread flooding and mudslides, including in the vicinity of the pond. The full-to-capacity pond was half iced over when this photo was taken and a few eggs were still visible under the ice that may have been deposited weeks previously. |
February 1st, 2024 © Mark Gary A few CA Tiger Salamander eggs and Sierran Treefrog eggs were seen but viewing conditions are poor. The pond is overflowing with at least two more atmospheric rivers predicted to move into the area in the next week. |
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March |
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| March, 2006 | March, 2010 | March, 2011 | Late March, 2014 © Mark Gary |
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| Early March, 2015 © Mark Gary | Early March, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early March, 2017 © Mark Gary Sierran Treefrog eggs are hatched, Red-legged Frog egg laying has begun, CA Tiger Salamander larvae are visible. |
March 23rd, 2018 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early March, 2019, between rainstorms in a very wet winter. © Mark Gary | March 2nd, 2020, after zero rainfall in the entire month of February. (The last time that happened, Abe Lincoln was president.) California Tiger Salamander unfolded embryos observed. Other eggs were observed already hatched on 2/20. © Mark Gary | March 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary Sierran Treefrogs have started laying eggs in the pond. |
March 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary Four pairs of California toads in amplexus were observed in the pond, along with treefrog tadpoles and California Tiger Salamander larvae. |
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| March 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary Some new predators have been spotted in the pond - Hooded Mergansers - small diving ducks that feed mostly on fish but also eat other aquatic life including aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles, and frogs. It's possible they are also eating tiger salamander larvae. |
March 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary Shortly after very cold storms passed through the area dumping more than ten inches of snow, the pond is still partially frozen over. Nevertheless, the California Toads are breeding, with egg strings and two pairs of adults in amplexus observed in the water. |
March 5th, 2024 © Mark Gary A huge rain storm and blizzard in the mountains just passed through the state. Lots of treefrog eggs are visible in the pond. |
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April |
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| April, 2003 | April, 2013 © Mark Gary |
Mid April, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early April, 2015 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early April, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early April, 2017 © Mark Gary Sierran Treefrogs have laid more eggs. |
Early April, 2018 © Mark Gary Toad eggs now present |
Early April, 2019 © Mark Gary Even greener than March was. |
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| April 2nd, 2020, with some new green after it finally rained a little bit. © Mark Gary |
April 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary Small tiger salamander larvae are observed along with treefrog tadpoles, but there's no sign of toad or red-legged frog breeding activity. A dry winter means this will probably be another drought year. |
April 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is still full, but little precipitation in March is causing the surroundings to dry up. California Toads bred in early March in larger numbers than we have observed here before. Thousands of tadpoles hatched in mid March but two weeks later they were almost all gone, apparently eaten up by tiger salamander larvae and other predators. Three size classes of tiger salamanders were observed, which correspond with the three spaced breeding events that were observed this season. |
April 2nd, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is still overflowing. This California Toad, toad eggs, Sierran Treefrog eggs, and California Tiger Salamander Eggs and larvae are all present in the water. According to the L.A. Times, California was hit with 31 intense atmospheric river storms from October through March with record snowfall and massive amounts of rain that led to deadly flooding. The statewide drought has finally been declared over in most of the state. Until the next one comes... This month is the tenth year of Mark Gary's monthly photograph of the pond. Happy anniversary! |
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| Early April, 2024 © Mark Gary After a late snow and lots of rain the pond is still full. Lots of toad and treefrog tadpoles are present, but tiger salamander larvae were not seen. |
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May |
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| May, 2011 | May, 2013 © Mark Gary | Early May, 2014 © Mark Gary |
Early May, 2015 © Mark Gary |
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| Early May, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early May, 2017 © Mark Gary | Late May, 2017 | Early May, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae observed eating toad tadpoles. Diablo Range Gartersnake observed eating tiger salamander larva. |
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| Early May, 2019 © Mark Gary. Small tiger salamander larvae, red-legged frogs, and gartersnakes observed. | May 1st, 2020. A small amount of toad breeding in area ponds was finally observed in mid April, a single mass of red-legged frog eggs in this pond were destroyed after a few days, probably trampled by cattle, and no tiger salamander larvae have been seen lately. This has not been a good year for area amphibians. © Mark Gary |
May 3rd, 2021 © Mark Gary The pond is drying up abnormally early. Califiornia Tiger Salamander larvae are still seen in the rapidly diminishing pond, but will they be able to achieve metamorphosis this year before it dries up completely? |
May 3rd, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is still full, which isn't unusual for early May. The largest size class of tiger salamander larvae are already developing dark mottling. |
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| May 6th, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is full of tadpoles and four-inch-long tiger salamander larvae are very clumsily hunting them. |
May 6th,, 2024 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae were observed in the pond along with lots of treefrog and toad tadpoles, a red-legged frog, and a rare sighting of a pond turtle. |
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June |
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| June, 2010 | June, 2010 | June, 2013 © Mark Gary | Early June, 2014 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early June, 2015 © Mark Gary | Early June, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early June, 2017 © Mark Gary | Early June, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae observed hunting tadpoles. |
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| Early June, 2019 © Mark Gary. The pond is still overflowing. Large larvae are present along with predatory gartersnakes. | June 2nd, 2020. No tiger salamander larvae present. Eggs were laid and they hatched, but none of the larvae appear to have survived. © Mark Gary | June 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary 52 dead, dying, or doomed California Tiger Salamander larvae were counted in a couple of small puddles that were all that remained of the pond. This is the earliest we have seen the pond dry out since we began watching it Contra Costa County and a large part of Northern California are reported to be in an exceptional drought, the highest rating of drought by the U. S. Drought Monitor. There will be no new transformed tiger salamanders this year unless some of them managed to undergo metamorphosis in the past month. |
June 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary Several California Tiger Salamander larvae stranded in the last bit of water remaining the pond. |
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| June 1st, 2022 © Mark Gary A dip-netting survey in late May showed that there were many California Tiger Salamander larvae still in the pond. |
July 5th, 2022 © Mark Gary Lots of very small larvae are observed coming to the surface. |
June 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is full of amphibians, including CA tiger salamander larvae, assorted tadpoles, and small CA red-legged frogs. |
June 2nd, 2024 © Mark Gary As the spring above it dries up later than usual the pond finally stops overflowing. Large CA Tiger Salamander larvae are present in the water along with treefrog tadpoles and California Red-legged Frogs. |
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July |
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| July, 2011 | July, 2013 © Mark Gary | Early July, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early July, 2015 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early July, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early July, 2017 © Mark Gary | Mid July, 2017 © Mark Gary Tiger Salamander larvae still visible coming up for air. |
Early July, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae still observed in pond. |
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| Early July, 2019 © Mark Gary. The pond level is high for July as it was last year, due to a wet year and maybe the Fall 2017 pond construction. Tiger Salamander larvae, a few tadpoles, and California Red-legged Frogs are visible. | July 2nd, 2020. The pond is prematurely dry and free of vegetation, with few amphibians remaining. © Mark Gary | July 5th, 2021 © Mark Gary The pond is completely dry as are most of the other small ponds in the vicinity. |
July 2nd, 2023 © Mark Gary Lots of tiger salamander larvae are visible in the pond including one that could walk out on its own. California Red-legged Frog and Sierran Treefrog Tadpoles are abundant. |
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| July 8th, 2024 © Mark Gary The pond is still full of water with lots of tadpoles, juvenile treefrogs and red-legged frogs, and to eat them, plenty of large predacious diving beetles and Diablo Gartersnakes. |
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August |
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| August, 2010 - As I was trying to photograph tiger salamander larvae in the water, a couple of biologists came and dragged a net through the pond. They found Sierran treefrogs with deformities caused by parasites spread by snails, and they told me that the dreaded chytrid fungus is here, too. | August, 2011 | August, 2013 © Mark Gary | ||||||||||||||
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| August, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early August, 2015 © Mark Gary | Mid August, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early August, 2017. Tiger salamander larvae still visible in pond. © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early August, 2018 © Mark Gary Tiger salamander larvae still observed in pond but not tadpoles. |
Early August, 2019 © Mark Gary. There's lots of water left for August and still lots of amphibian activity. California Tiger Salamander larvae, California Red-legged Frog tadpoles, and recently transformed juvenile red-legged frogs and Sierran Treefrogs are also present. | August 3rd, 2020. Nothing but dirt remains. It looks like a larger pond nearby might also dry up this year, which would be unusual. © Mark Gary | August 2nd, 2021 © Mark Gary Once there was a pond here. |
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| August 11, 2022 © Mark Gary Lots of CA tiger salamander larvae still remain in the pond which is only about 1.5 feet deep at its deepest. |
August 10th, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is still full. A lot of tiger salamanders have probably left the pond, but there is still a range of size classes in the water along with lots of treefrog metamorphs and CA red-legged frog tadpoles. |
August 1st,, 2024 © Mark Gary The pond is full of adult California Red-legged Fogs and CA Tiger Salamander larvae are still present but not as many as in previous years. |
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September |
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| September, 2012 © Mark Gary |
September, 2013 © Mark Gary | September, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early September, 2015 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early September, 2016 © Mark Gary | Early September, 2017 © Mark Gary Record heat, but water still present with many young CA Red-legged frogs seen in the pond. |
1 September, 2018 © Mark Gary California Tiger Salamander larvae are still observed in the puddle. |
Early September, 2019 © Mark Gary. With plenty of water remaining, the pond is full of recently-metamorphosed California Red-legged Frogs and California Tiger Salamander larvae are still present. |
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| September 16, 2020 © Mark Gary There once was a pond here. Massive wildfires in the region closed access to the pond, but permission was granted to take a picture. Fortunately, the area around the pond was not burned. |
September 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary NOAA is predicting a 70 percent chance of a wet La Nina winter this year, but even if it happens, will it extend far enough south to fill the pond? The lack of water at this time of year is not a problem for the salamanders since they have evolved to live in ephemeral ponds. The dry period prevents salamander predators from taking up residence in the pond which benefits them also. |
Mid September, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is dry once again but there are no signs of a die-off of tiger salamander larvae so maybe they were able to transform and move onto land this year. |
September 3rd, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond has more water than it usually does in September while ponds in the surrounding area are surprisingly dry. A few CA red-legged frog tadples and many recently-metamorphosed juveniles were observed, along with some tiger salamander larvae. |
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| September 4th, 2024 © Mark Gary Large California Tiger Salamander larvae still visible along with California Red-legged Frog adults and juveniles. |
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October |
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| October, 2013 © Mark Gary | October, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early October, 2015 © Mark Gary | Early October, 2016 © Mark Gary Nothing left but a puddle. |
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| Mid October, 2016 © Mark Gary The rains have begun. |
Early October, 2017 © Mark Gary | Mid October, 2017 © Mark Gary Heavy equipment has been used to modify the earthen dam that maintains the pond. The outflow channel into the nearby creek has been moved to the other side of the pond and reinforced with rocks. |
Early October, 2018 © Mark Gary The pond is reduced to a puddle once again. A cow got stuck in the mud and had to be pulled out, so the puddle has been temporarily fenced off to prevent any more stranded cows. |
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| October 1st, 2019 © Mark Gary. Tiger salamander larvae remain in the pond, which is unusual for October. Many recently-metamorphosed California Red-legged Frogs also remain in the pond. |
October 2nd, 2020 © Mark Gary The sky is full of haze from massive wildfires burning in the region in what has already become California's worst fire season on record, with the season not yet over. |
October 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary No rain yet, which is not unusual since it typically starts later this month or next. According to CBS News, the California Department of Water Resources reports that a total of 11.87 inches of rain and snow fell during the 2021 water year - October 30th 2020 through September 30th 2021. That's less than half of the annual average of 28.2 inches. (The report measures the average precipitation for the entire state, not this specific location, though conditions here were also exceptionally dry.) You have to go back to 1924 to find a drier year, though the 1977 drought was close. |
October 26th, 2021 © Mark Gary From extreme drought to extreme precipitation overnight. The dry pond has filled with about 4 feet 4 inches of water, as measured by a new hydroperiod stake installed in the pond in September. And even more surprising, the breeding season has already started. Several adult California Tiger Salamanders were observed in the water on the 26th and a few eggs were spotted on the 28th, only four days after the main rain event. The salamanders are not known to enter ponds in October, and November is even a bit early for them, but this year has been an exception due to the unusually heavy precipitation. Two days previous, October 24th, the Bay Area experienced its stongest storm in 26 years (according to the SF Chronicle 10/24/21) the result of a category 5 atmospheric river - tropical moisture pulled northeast from the Pacific Ocean - that was caused by a bomb cyclone, an area of extreme low pressure. This low pressure system tied the record for the all-time lowest pressure measured in a storm in the northeast Pacific. SF Gate.com (10/25/21) shows the 48 hour preciptation totals for 10/24 and 10/25 in Livermore, which is not far from the pond, as 4.28 inches, but since the pond is higher in elevation, it most likely received more than that. (Nearby Mt. Diablo received 8.44 inches in the same 48 hour period.) |
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| Mid October, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is now completely dry. A larger pond nearby was once devoid of salamanders because it was full of large fish. In the last few years the pond dried up completely killing all the fish. California tiger salamander eggs were then observed in the pond. Now, in mid October, the pond still has plenty of water remaining and large juvenile California tiger salamanders with no apparent gills have been observed swimming in the water. It remains to be seen if they will overwinter in the pond or if they will leave when the rains begin. |
October 5th, 2023 © Mark Gary The pond is full of several hundred recently-transformed CA red-legged frogs and CA tiger salamander larvae are still present. |
October, 2024 © Mark Gary | ||||||||||||||
November |
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| November, 2011 © Mark Gary | November, 2013 © Mark Gary |
November, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early November, 2015 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||
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| Early November, 2016 © Mark Gary After a lot of rainfall, news reports are declaring the drought over in Northern California. The pond seems to agree when compared to the lack of water in the three previous Novembers. |
Early November, 2017, after the pond has been modified. © Mark Gary | Early November, 2018 © Mark Gary Almost completely dry. Temporary fence to exclude cows still in place. |
Mid November, 2018 © Mark Gary No rain yet. Temporary cow fence removed. |
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| November 1st, 2019 © Mark Gary. A mature tiger salamander larva was found near the end of the month, so maybe it will overwinter. Few recently-metamorphosed California Red-legged Frogs remain, perhaps a result of recent cold weather. |
November 3rd, 2020 © Mark Gary Still waiting for rain. |
© Mark Gary November 1st, 2021 after unusually heavy rainfall in late October filled the pond and stimulated salamanders to migrate to the pond and breed. A few adult salamanders are still in the pond
and even more eggs are visible. California Red-legged Frogs and Sierran Treefrogs have also entered the water. |
November 1, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond is still completely dry, though some rain has begun. |
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| November 3rd, 2023 © Mark Gary The water level has decreased a little bit, but California Tiger Salamander larvae are still present. It's possible they could overwinter this year. Many young CA Red-legged Frogs are also present. |
November, 2024 © Mark Gary | |||||||||||||||
December |
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| December, 2013 © Mark Gary | Early December, 2014 © Mark Gary | Early December, 2015 © Mark Gary | December 3rd, 2016 © Mark Gary CA Tiger salamander eggs were laid this year between November 26th and December 3rd. |
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| 1 December, 2017 © Mark Gary After only a little bit of November rain, the pond again contains some water and a lot of California Tiger Salamander eggs that were probably laid in late November. |
Early December, 2018 © Mark Gary After a little rain, the pond is once again ready for salamander breeding. |
December 2nd, 2019, just after the first heavy soaking rain of the season, which began the night of December 1st, after five days of light rain. © Mark Gary. The afternoon of the 3rd, several adult California tiger salamanders were observed swimming in the murky pond. These were probably males awaiting the arrival of females. No sign of eggs or amplexus was observed. No sign of eggs was observed on the 6th. Eggs were first seen on the 9th. Evidence of a larger breeding event was then observed on the 11th, including several adults remaining in the water. |
December 1st, 2020 © Mark Gary Usually the pond has begun to fill by now, but not this year. After it finally rained, eggs were observed on 12/17, and more than 400 were visible on 12/26. Adult salamanders were observed swimming in the pond on 12/15 and there were still a few in the water as late as 12/26.
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| December 1st, 2021 © Mark Gary The older eggs are already hatching. |
December 2nd, 2022 © Mark Gary The pond in this picture is shallow and completely frozen over. After some sparse rainfall the pond returned in early November and a few adults were observed in the water on the 10th. On the 18th ten eggs were observed. By the end of November the water level had shrunk and the eggs were gone. More breeding is expected with a large storm on the way. |
December 1st, 2023 © Mark Gary |
December 4th, 2024 © Mark Gary After the first significant rain fell in November, many (presumed) male California Tiger Salamanders were observed in the pond. By the first of December after a period without rain they appeared to have left the pond with no eggs present. |
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