May 5, 2015
This is the earliest year that our ponds have melted out since the population started being monitored in 2000.
May 14, 2015
Check out this time lapse video of one of our ponds over the course of the whole year!
May 20, 2015
It's the annual capture-mark-recapture! Scientists have been placing microchips called PIT tags into the frogs since 2002 to track frogs through time. This takes place over the course of 3 days, ideally just when the frogs gather to breed. Here's the team searching for frogs. Photo courtesy of Robin Munshaw.
May 29, 2015
For the first time ever, we witnessed a female laying her eggs! AND we got it on video. So cool!
We also found this tough little frog hanging out in a slushy pond.
June 18, 2015
A classic example of stranding. These eggs were laid and then the water level in the pond dropped, stranding them from the main body of the pond. Unfortunately, this little puddle will dry quickly. So close yet so far!
June 26, 2015
We found some tailed frog tadpoles near our campsite! Tailed frogs are awesome because they have suction cup mouths to hang on to rocks in fast moving streams. They also can take up to 4 years to metamorphose from a tadpoles to a frog.
July 4, 2015
It's a rough year for the frogs. Drought conditions have resulted in drying ponds, making it difficult for frogs to move between their typical water sources. This frog presumably dessicated (dried) in the heat.
July 15, 2015
The tadpoles are growing in Mt. Rainier! These guys are approximately a month old now. Better hurry, that pond is drying fast!.
July 21, 2015
Check out this male sooty grouse we found strutting around Olympic National park.
Follow us this summer as we conduct our research.....
August 6, 2015
Amanda takes a break from field work to present our research at the International Congress of Conservation Biology in Montpellier, France
August 26, 2015
Watch our awesome video of the thermal performance experiment we did for Katie's undergread research project. It proves we still get excited when frogs jump!
September 1, 2015
Feels like fall! It's our last round at all the sites and any tadpoles left better get a move on it! Woke up to a thick layer of frost at Upper Lena and had to wait for the tent to thaw before packing up camp!
September 16, 2015
Our last frog of the season! We wrapped it up with a whirlwind of a trip to 7 Lakes Basin and Spray Park. We pulled data loggers, measured frogs, and generally tried to stay warm. It was a great trip and a successful season!