Vernal Pools

Last week me, my mom, and my brother went to the Ash Bridge Preserve at night.  When we got there we saw a woodcock, a type of bird.  The males fluttered in circles 200-300 feet in the air.  Go to this website to learn more: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_woodcock/id.  Then we started our long journey to a vernal pool.  A vernal pool is basically a huge puddle made from melted snow.  Lots of animals lay eggs here, including salamanders and frogs.  It dries up in the summer and comes back in the spring.  A vernal pool is a good place to lay eggs because there are no predators.  On the way, we crossed a river by jumping across rocks that were a foot and a half away.  I almost slipped.  When we got to the vernal pool, it was loud because there were lots of wood frogs.  To hear the wood frogs call, go to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ah_slM_F34.   We also caught a type of frog called spring peepers.  I can’t wait to go again. 

          Later that week, Amanda and I went to Ridley Creek State Park and found a HUGE vernal pool.  There were tons of frogs.  Check out the video below to see the frogs and hear them.  It was so cool!