While we're on the subject of cold blooded critters - I have a question
that has perplexed me for years; Why do the pacific chorus frogs, hyla
regilla, vocalize in the winter? It is a different vocalization than the
one used when they return to water to breed beginning in March. It sure
seems that they sometimes call in response to bushwhacking or pishing.
Could it possibly be territorial? If so, why do they need a winter
territory?

Dave Parent, dpdvm at whidbey.com, Freeland, WA

-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Stewart Wechsler
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 8:21 PM
To: nettasmith at comcast.net; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: RE: (winter) turtle (sightings) for gull-watchers (and everyone
else)

On turtle sightings in winter:

I was surprised years ago when I first saw a turtle sunning itself in
the
winter. I've since learned that the sliders and painted turtles come up
regularly, but infrequently from their wintering spots in the mud at the
bottom of lakes and ponds and are likely to sun themselves at those
times.
Though their metabolism is quite slow in winter, they still need air. I
don't know the frequency, but I believe they come up on the average of
something like once a month in the winter. You will see them
occasionally
in the winter, especially on warmer sunnier days, if you regularly check
their favorite sunning spots (the logs in Lake Washington near the west
end
of the 520 bridge is one of the best).

Stewart Wechsler
West Seattle
mailto:ecostewart at quidnunc.net

-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Netta Smith
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 6:14 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: turtle for gull-watchers


For those of you tweeters who have seen the turtle that sits on the log
next
to the bridge where the Cedar River runs out into Lake Washington, I
think
it is an old male Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans).

Thank goodness the scare from salmonella transmission from turtles
caused
the stopping of the collection of hundreds of thousands of baby turtles
from
the East and selling them as pets. This kind of turtle used to be one of
the
most commonly sold in pet stores, and many have been released by their
owners when they got too big for their quarters. There are a lot of them
in
lakes in the Puget Sound area, along with some Painted Turtles
(Chrysemys
picta), also introduced.

Anyway, this turtle is an amazing beast, as it's out "basking" under the
clouds in what I consider pretty cold winter weather. This is not
something
I would EVER have expected from a reptile. I wondered if it might be
dead
and mummified until I saw it blink.

While you're there watching those gulls, check it out. It was still
there at
4 pm today, as the sky darkened. No Great Black-backed or Slaty-backed
Gull
had been seen up to that time, as far as I know. Unfortunately, most of
the
gulls from the dump overfly the river mouth and settle far out on the
lake.

Dennis Paulson
--
Netta Smith and Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115

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