North section - 1/12/2023

Thursday, 9:20-11:50 am. no live newts, 127 dead newts.
Weather: nice, not too cold, no rain, for a change. One storm ended yesterday, another is supposed to start tomorrow. There're still mud and rocks everywhere, and water is flowing all over. There are small waterfalls all along the road, from the steep cliffs down, and in every little seep.
Coverage: Jones trailhead to the second stop sign. I walked with Keith.
We found 127 dead newts, 60 of them on the hill side. A few juveniles, but I'm not sure who they were (I didn't add them to the Juv project, but all were photographed with the ruler).
Other roadkills: 2 toads, and a couple of millipedes - the only arthropods I've seen in the past few surveys. Maybe the rest were washed by the road?
The little pool by limekiln trailhead was completely full, but I haven't seen any newts.
Traffic - pretty busy! 39 cars, 8 trucks, 0 motorcycles, 11 bikes, 6 pedestrians, 19 parked cars (1 car at the farther parking lot). There were a few SJJJ trucks, the scraper truck, County Parks. Midpen held a volunteer event at the new property. There were 4 cars parked inside.
1 driver and one runner asked us about the newts. Also Cadillac lady said she saved a newt by her home, up the road. We saw people kayaking and on a sap down in Limekiln canyon. It was our friend Anne F., enjoying the high water - you could kayak right through the culvert!
My observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2023-01-12&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on January 13, 2023 01:38 AM by merav