Amphibian Migration – Coming to a Road Near You!
Even though it is still winter, warmer days and increased daylight is upon us!
With that brings my favorite event: Big Night!
“Big Night” is often used to describe the annual ritual of certain frogs and
salamanders when they migrate from their upland overwintering habitat towards
their spring breeding ground. During Big Night, you have a chance of seeing
spotted salamanders, wood frogs, spring peepers, and other amphibians heading
towards a vernal pool (generally a small pond or wetland which dries up in the
summer months and does not support fish populations).
When will Big Night occur? It is always hard to predict as it generally
happens on the first few rainy nights in March when the night temperature is
above 40 degrees. Most years, Lincoln does not have one “Big Night”, but rather
lots of smaller movements (“Many Little Nights” doesn’t sound as exciting as
“Big Night”). In fact, we had a Little Night on Monday – a few frogs and
salamanders were seen crossing Lincoln roads before the rain turned to snow.
With temperatures warming and more wet weather on its way, we are only days
away from the excitement.
Big Night is bitter-sweet to many nature lovers. It is fun to see the
amphibians on the move, however, in a landscape bisected by a network of roads,
it often means that these small creatures risk their own life crossing onto
pavement each year. The best we can hope for is that Big Night happens late at
night, when most cars are off the roads.
What you can do
* Best thing to do is stay off the roads on rainy nights. It is nearly
impossible to see dark salamanders and frogs on a dark wet road!
* If you must drive on rainy nights during the next two weeks, try to stay
on the major roadways and avoid some of our smaller roads with vernal pools
nearby. Lincoln Conservation Department will be placing signage at three major
salamander crossings - Conant Road, Lexington Road, and Silver Hill Road –
asking motorists to avoid those areas.
* If you have a vernal pool near your road, consider looking for migrating
frogs and salamanders. There are some commonsense precautions you should take:
* Find a spot to park well before you reach the wetland crossing.
* Wear reflective vests or clothing if possible.
* Have multiple flashlights and be very careful looking where you walk –
you don’t want to step on a frog and salamander!
* Assume vehicles do not see you and stay off the road when they
approach.
* Be sure your hands are free of any skin cream, insect repellent, or
other chemicals (see note about moving salamanders below)
* Keep track of what you see and report it on Lincoln’s Big Night Data
Form (see below for more info.)
What to do if you see a frog or salamander crossing a road?
Amphibians do not like to be handled so in most cases simply observe them. If
a frog or salamander is on the road, please move it off the road in the
direction it is heading. Moisten hands if possible, in a puddle before
handling it to minimize disturbance to their skin. You are likely to see
(yellow) spotted salamanders (which can be 9” long), wood frogs, spring
peepers, and American toads. And there is always a possibility of a rarer
sighting, such as a blue-spotted salamander (please report any blue-spotted
sightings to the Conservation Dept.). On all rainy nights in spring and summer
there is considerable activity on the roadways so please keep that in mind as
you are out on any roadway. Be safe but try to give them a chance at survival.
Lincoln Vernal Pool Big Night Monitoring Volunteers
Lincoln Conservation Department (LCD) and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
(LLCT) are interested in learning what people are seeing on Big Night(s).
Please fill out the following form if you are planning on visiting a Lincoln
Road on Big Night(s) and interested in sharing your information with LLCT/LCD.
A few things to note:
1. Because this type of activity involves walking along or on roadways in
the dark, it is recommended that only adults participate. Please note, roads
will not be closed and therefore there will be vehicular traffic to be mindful
of.
2. Safety comes first - please read this one page Big Night safety flier:
https://harriscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Safety_Tips_for_Big_Night-2022.pdf
and watch this 8 minute big night training video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9tGJKkki6Q. (the application form will ask you
to confirm you have reviewed this material)
3. Please fill out a Big Night Volunteer Application Form here with your
information here:
www.tinyurl.com/LincolnBigNightVolunteer<http://%20www.tinyurl.com/LincolnBigNightVolunteer>
4. LCD staff will review applicants and be in contact with you shortly
with additional information, resources, and data forms.
5. Volunteers will be sent emails when LCD/LLCT believe amphibian
migration is possible. Due to the unpredictability of local weather
conditions, we can’t guarantee that any particular night above 40 degrees and
raining will end up being a popular amphibian road crossing night.
Cheers,
Michele Grzenda
Conservation Director
Town of Lincoln
781-259-2703
Listen for the distinctive quacking of Wood Frogs in the evening as they gather
at vernal pools. They are the first amphibians to emerge in spring and often
congregate on pools still partially covered with ice. To learn more about
amphibian migration in Lincoln check out:
https://lincolnconservation.org/amphibian-migration-coming-to-a-road-near-you/
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