South section - 3/29/2024
Friday, 9:12-12:00 pm. 81 dead newts, no live ones
Weather: cloudy, light rain
Coverage: from ABR and Eldercroft Heights intersection to the first stop sign. I walked with Mia.
We documented 81 dead newts, with many juveniles. I documented 31 newts, at least 10 were juveniles. Mia documented 51 newts, at least 12 of which were juveniles. 46 of the newts were on the reservoir side, 35 on the hill side.
Other roadkill: skink, alligator lizard, frog?, milliped, centipede, earthworms, cranefly.
Traffic - 15 cars, 5 trucks (county roads), 0 motorcycles, 2 bikes, 0 pedestrians, 4 parked cars.
My observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2024-03-29&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any
Mia's observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?captive=any&on=2024-03-29&place_id=any&project_id=180854&user_id=mialom&verifiable=any
We collected 8 samples from freshly killed newts to check whether they have a fungal disease (Chytrid Fungi). We'll get the results in a few months.
Comments
@merav, is this the last survey in March? Is it OK to collect all the stats and forward them to Dr. Fraser Shilling at UC Davis?
I think it is!
We have been getting about 1/4 of our previous monthly average so far this year... Again - 250 compared with 1,056 individuals.
@merav, these low numbers are very scary. How much longer can this population survive? It breaks my heart.
indeed... we'll get our final April numbers this week. I don't have high expectations.
@merav, is the mitigation team aware that the roadkill numbers for this season suggest the population is in rapid decline? What have they said or done in response? I have a terrible feeling that whenever they get around to doing something it will be too little too late to save the newts.
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