I moved to Tacoma from La Mesa, CA. in March and in spite of not knowing any real herp hot spots, I've managed to see a few things. About a quarter mile from my house I found 2 Oregon Ensatina (Ensatina e. oregonensis) and a Western Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma m. macrodactylum). I've also seen at least 12 Northern Red-legged Frogs (Rana a. aurora), 24 Rough-skin Newts(Taricha granulosa),too many to count Pacific Chorus Frog larvae(Pseudacris regilla),1 Northwestern Alligator Lizard(Elgaria coerulea principis),4 Puget Sound Garter Snake(Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii) and 10 Northwestern Garter Snakes(Thamnophis ordinoides).I'm hoping to get out and about again very soon. If anybody has any ideas about some areas for salamanders, I'd really appreciate it. Most of my exploring has been in the Tacoma area.Thanks, Mark Baumann
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Puget Sound Herps
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>>I moved to Tacoma from La Mesa, CA. in March and in spite of not knowing any real herp hot spots, I've managed to see a few things. About a quarter mile from my house I found 2 Oregon Ensatina (Ensatina e. oregonensis) and a Western Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma m. macrodactylum). I've also seen at least 12 Northern Red-legged Frogs (Rana a. aurora), 24 Rough-skin Newts(Taricha granulosa),too many to count Pacific Chorus Frog larvae(Pseudacris regilla),1 Northwestern Alligator Lizard(Elgaria coerulea principis),4 Puget Sound Garter Snake(Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii) and 10 Northwestern Garter Snakes(Thamnophis ordinoides).I'm hoping to get out and about again very soon. If anybody has any ideas about some areas for salamanders, I'd really appreciate it. Most of my exploring has been in the Tacoma area.Thanks, Mark Baumann
Wow, you're pretty lucky. I haven't found a single herp outside of a few Chorus frogs this year. 
I'm in Lacey, and I think our local herpetofauna has been driven out by spraying and development. Hopefully planning a herping trip to the Columbia Gorge soon.
There's a few parks in the Olympia area that used to be good for salamanders, but I don't know how to look for them. Priest Point Park is a good one.
-cat
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My collection and herp photography
