There be Toads!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
While yesterday's rains were tremendous and in many cases destructive, they did bring much needed moisture to the Rio Grande Valley.
My favorite thing to do after such rains, aside from running through puddles, is grab my flashlight, jump in my truck, and drive. Where do I drive, and more importantly, why? Well, where is entirely dependent of my present location--but last night I drove from Port Isabel up Highway 100, onto 510 through Laguna Vista and turned off towards Laguna Atascosa, from there I followed 106 North for a few miles. As for why... I'm herp'ing! Out hunting for the reptiles and amphibians which have crawled from their muddy burrows to feed and breed. I basically drive slowly down the road with my windows down and listen to the chorus of frogs and toads, each trying to out do the other in attracting a mate.
Last night I heard a mixture of Gulf Coast Toads, Couch's Spadefoot Toads, Rio Grande Chirping Frogs, and the Rio Grande Leopard Frogs. But the most prominent toad, crawling from the soft soils of the many agricultural fields along 106, was the Couch's Spadefoot. Luckily it happens to be one of my favorite toads here in South Texas and I was delighted to spend many of hours, knee deep in drainage ditches and muck, hovering with my camera over the surface of the water to capture them.
Admittedly I wasn't prepared, having left my rubber boots back in Rio Grande City and not having any way to adequately support my camera over the water, but I made due. Jumped in barefoot with my pants rolled up and submerged my tripod when I could.
To be inches from these animals as they call to their mates is a truly wonderful experience. But honestly, it wasn't the toads that made last night so special for me. Around 12:30 I turned off of 106 and headed towards Los Fresnos, I found a neat little ditch and pulled off the side of the road to explore it. It was raining sporadically so I went equipped with only my flashlight--what a mistake...
As I was working my way along the bank, I caught a sudden, quick, movement at the edge of my light. I turned to it and whatever it was had darted beneath a low thistle. I waited for a second, remaining absolutely still and to my great delight out darts the cutest little shrew I'd ever seen. She would scurry from one plant to another, stopping to rummage around for insects. She was so fast that I had to work hard just to keep my light on her. I stayed with her for a few minutes, completely in awe of this tiny little animal. That awe was only amplified when she, not skipping a beat, ran full head on into the water and, much like a motor boat, went zooming downstream. As quickly as she entered, she was out, and out foraging this new area for prey. She repeated this act three times, and on occasion she would stop off at a submerged plant and crawl up on the leafs to look around.
I would never have imaged that swimming would come so naturally to this tiny little animal, especially as proficient as she was. So after watching her for a good long while, I finally get up the nerve to dash off to my truck in an attempt to grab my camera. As I had imagined, she was no where to be found on my return. It was a magical moment spent with this 2.5" shrew, one of those life long memories I shall forever treasure.
So that was my night, the night after the storm. I spent it crawling through mud, muck, and water. Rescuing toads from the road, one right after another, and relocating them to the safety of the water. It was a blast, so much so that I think I will find myself doing much the same this evening. Wish me luck!
posted by Seth Patterson @ 9:58 AM,
