Favoritos de easpears

Was calling Tuesday night and calling again on Saturday from the water retention pond that serves the neighborhood. Quite a few herpetologists are in town for the Herp blitz at Powhatan wildlife management area so the frog was located and confirmed.

This was taken at our home on the Appomattox River. The lizards are a favorite of ours so we were not happy to see this copperhead attempting to eat one. He was not successful and later abandoned the lizard. I buried him in our garden

Two different encounters with what appears to be the same species of snake on the Osmanthus trail. The first picture shows three snakes from the second encounter and the second picture shows two snakes from the first encounter. All the snakes appear to be 24” (63.5 cm) or more.

This observation for the snake.

This went on for a long time, with the toad being so large for the snake - 18 minutes passed between the 1st and 3rd photos for the snake to get the toad's 2nd leg.

Observation for the toad: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214173701

The rounded pale shape drew me over to that spot. Disappointment that it was a golf ball followed, then elation when I realized what was on the golf ball. It patiently let all of us take photos. Temperature in the mid to low 50s F, foggy.

One is definitely a red spotted newt but the other is much lighter, yellowish although small red dots are visible. Adults in the pool were definitely engaged in mating behaviors. Could this be a female? But I thought that red spotted were fairly monomorphic.

Observed snake from a distance through binoculars, watched it hunting in the river. Gradually worked my way nearer, luckily was able to watch it catch and subdue a catfish. The snake struggled to swallow the (still alive) fish for more than 30 minutes. Despite the snake's large size, it wasn't quite able to get past the fish's erect pectoral fins. Eventually it released the fish, took a break, then grabbed it again and swam away with the fish in its mouth. Fascinating to watch.

Will post fish separately.

@easpears @tysmith

I believe that this is an Eastern Red-backed (Plethodon cinereus) that looks a bit like a White-spotted slimy (Plethodon cylindraceus) although I’d like to be wrong. I’ve never seen these guys at this location (along the Potomac river in VA), let alone a White-spotted slimy in the colder months in the DC area.

I know this is an albino bird… but not sure what kind! These two sightings were on two occasions, first three pictures are from July 30 and the last three are from August 14. I think it could be the same one! It was in the same area/neighborhood.

Thoughts on what it could be?

Mystery salamander. Several dozen moved alongside a few hundred P. jacksoni during a summer rain. Pattern similar to zigzags (P. dorsalis). Based on images Dr. T. Pauley said these look like P. dorsalis; finding them here would be a considerable range expansion (~125 miles northeast).