I have spent summers in Maine my whole life and always enjoyed the abundance of wildlife found there. Unfortunately, since starting college (and getting interesting in academic herpetology) I haven't been able to spend nearly as much time as I would like there. Over the past couple of summers, though, I have made some decent finds at our summer house on the island of Islesboro. I hope that I can turn Islesboro into a long-term study site and justify spending more time there in future years.
First the amphibians, American Toads (Bufo americanus) and Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica) are common, especially on warm, wet nights.
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I am always amazed by latitudinal gradients in ecological phenomina. Why is it that a week in the tropics yield half a dozen snakes, when there are 150 species in the region, while I can turn up 30 snakes in 30 minutes in Maine? Anyways, here are the ophidian componants of the Islesboro herpetofauna. I seriously began mark-recapture of snakes at a couple of sites on the island in 2003. In the past two summers I have marked about 100 snakes of four species and gotten several recaptures. I think that this system has definite promise as a long-term study site. In sunny forest openings Ringneck Snakes (Diadophis punctatus) are by far the most common speices, often with at least one snake found under every stone.
