Signs of Spring

There are some unmistakable signs that spring is slowly arriving in Snake Valley. Besides the wind that's blowing tumbleweeds from one end of the valley to the other (which is no mean feat in a valley that's over 100 miles long!), we are starting to see some different birds, like killdeer and sandhill cranes. The ravens are sitting on and near their nests. They have always finished nesting by the time we do breeding bird surveys in June.

Little balls of eggs, frog eggs, are another good indication of spring. These are from Columbia spotted frogs. Each male only mates with one female, and each female only makes one ball of eggs, so if you count the egg masses, you can get an approximate count of the adult population. Because the adults can be very hard to detect, this is the usual method to track frog populations in this area.

It's nice to see these signs of spring. More will be coming soon!