Jim-

As far as I know, the only possible answer is indeed a Rough-Skinned Newt.
The other handful of amphibians that I know would be found in that
habitat are either all black with a green stripe down the back, all
grey-brown, or entirely reddish. The newt is the only one of our
salamanders that has the two-toned coloration, again, as far as I know.
If someone out there knows otherwise, please let me know. With regards to
its rough-ness, that varies greatly depending on how moist their skin is
at the time. Rough-Skins live in some fairly warm, dry places, and their
dry, wrinkled skin is a water-saving mechanism for drier times. When
there is a lot of moisture around, I've found them to look a lot more like
a regular salamander, skin-wise.

Good bird/salamandering!

-Chris Duke
Bellingham, WA
dukec at cc.wwu.edu

> I sent this Monday but it bounced so I'll try it one more time...
>
>
> On the way home from work last Thursday (Oct 23 - sorry for the long
> delay) an owl was flying over the intersection of Northup Way and Lake
> Washington Boulevard/Bellevue Way at 6:45 PM. Based on its size
> (somewhat larger than a crow but not big enough to be a Great Horned
> Owl), shape, and dark tips to underwings, I would say it was either
> Short-eared or Long-eared. The wings seemed a bit narrow for
> Short-eared and the habitat did not seem quite right (but then I
> wouldn't think this was an ideal place to find ANY owl). Also viewing
> conditions were not good (low light and lots of testy rush hour traffic
> while negotiating a left turn) so I can't be more specific but if anyone
> has seen an owl regularly in this location, I would be interested to
> hear about it. Otherwise keep a lookout for it.
>
> On an unrelated note, my family went to Anderson Island in South Puget
> Sound for the weekend and we ran across a salamander I had never seen
> before. That describes most salamanders. It was in the middle of a
> trail through a wet second growth (mostly alder) forest. It had a dark
> gray-brown back that blended in perfectly with the leaf litter. Its
> belly was bright yellowish orange. It was about three inches long with
> a fairly flat but wide body. My amphibian book shows a Rough-skinned
> Newt that fits this description except it didn't really have a rough
> skin. Does anyone know what would be in this area that fits this
> description?
>
> Jim Elder
> jime at icomamerica.com
>
>
>
>