Checking on Newts in Spring

April 8th, 2023

6 months ago I put 3 wild caught Eastern newts in this paludarium.

I've been learning a lot about my Newts and enjoyed taking care of them through the challenging winter season.

Newts seem to be getting along with me all fine :)

Check my previous videos about newts.

While watching my newts I start wondering how newts in the park get through the last Winter.

And so I decided to visit the Bear mountain park again.

Early morning, April 9th, Time Square is pleasantly empty :)

At the bus terminal, I skip the line to get in front of the ever-waiting people to get on a bus :)

It's about an hour and half long ride on a bus from Manhattan to the Bear Mountain park.

This time I am walking - no biking.

This road should bring me to the 9W, where I can get on a hiking path along the stream.

I am at the entry point to the hiking path.

I noticed green deposits of filamentous algae in the cold water of this stream.

I am taking the path along the South side of the stream.

There are many different mosses.

This one looks like fork moss to me...

I want to try it in my high humidity paludarium with newts.

Ah, and I see a little crawler in this sample - it could be a nice addition for my cleaning crew :)

The path takes me over some pretty hills.

It will be all green in a couple weeks.

Slopes of every hill are covered with nice looking mosses.

I am getting down to check the stream at every spot with safe to walk access.

There are very nice sightings everywhere I go.

It feels nice to rest by the stream...

It took me about half an hour to walk to the place where I found newts last September.

And here I found what looks like Reindeer lichen.

I remember growing it underwater until my mystery snails ate it clean.

Down in the stream I found bushes of Willow mosses.

Apparently, this moss likes cold spring water...

And I don't see filamentous algae around here.

Silverskin lichen grows at the same spot.

Okay, I want to try this one in one of my small sustainable aquariums.

Hiking in Bear mountains.

It's beautiful here!

Hey, look where I got guys he-he!

Waterfall! Yeah

And it is the same spot where I...

The last September I visited to get newts.

It's pretty cool right!

And there are a lot of newts!

He-he, newt-a resting.

There is actually a lot of them I've seen.

They are hidden.

There is another one.

Looking at me.

This one is probably looking for snails or something...

Very cute

All the newts here are very skinny compared to my newts...

I suppose my newts got fatter while wild newts were on a starving diet through the Winter.

Soon there will be plenty of food for newts here too.

These two newts seem in the prelude for mating or they could be fighting for the rights to mate.

Here I pick a couple Acute Bladder snails - my newts would love that!

This is about 2 cm large adult snail - too big for my newts to eat them.

Adult Eastern newts eat smaller size snails.

Here is another adult snail.

These snails are different from snails I found in Central Park in New York.

I believe it is a Water Purslane. 

I want to check if this plant would grow on the land platform in my paludarium.

Here it goes.

While walking around the lake I found Milfoils plants.

Going back to the bus I followed the hiking path that took me along a historical path.

There was a town before this place became a state park in the mid 20th century.

Nothing left from the town but the path and this about 200 years old oak.

Ah, that's what left from that home...Hmm...yep.

Nature takes back everything people borrowed from it.

I had fun hiking here and am happy to find newts made it through the Winter.

Nature is beautiful!

Have fun and happy adventures :)