March 31, 2021 - Guest Post by Dhruv Rungta

We have been extremely fortunate this year to have Dhruv and his scout troop (66 from Edison, NJ), collecting data about our migration. Dhruv developed the study with the NJDEP Endangered and Non-Game Species Program, Conserve Wildlife and The Friends of the EBEC to help us understand the dynamics of the migration and how that might relate to our conservation efforts both on Beekman Road and across the state. He as kind enough to write a post about the migration on Wednesday night and to share some preliminary data. Not to mention the troop took the time to cleanup the woods along Beekman Road of a huge amount of trash. Here is his post (stay tuned for more from Dhruv!):

Last night (Wednesday night - March 31), we had quite an exciting blend of species. Compared to previous nights where Spring Peepers made up well over 50% of species tallied, it was the first time they were not the majority. Instead, frogs that breed later in the season (including the northern grey tree frog and green frog) were seen more frequently. We also noted that 25.8% of animals counted yesterday were heading back across Beekman Road to the wintering/wooded areas, signing that spring breeding for these species is likely drawing to a close. The night was filled with a beautiful melody of calls, including the wonderful spring peepers, of course, but also some less common species, including the NJ Chorus frog. Last week many of us were upset by the overabundance of litter along the road. I am delighted to say that we were able to pick up 10 bags full of trash, totaling at least 70 pounds!  We are also excited for the upcoming nights as they are likely to feature scores of amphibians crossing from both sides--late breeders crawling to the pools, and the rest heading back home.        ​