#RBWinterWildlifeWednesday - Eastern Long-tailed Salamander!

On today’s edition of #RBWinterWildlifeWednesday, we take a look at one of the most unique amphibians found in R. B. Winter State Park - the Eastern Long-tailed Salamander!

Known for their colorful, slender bodies and exceptionally long tails, Eastern Long-tailed Salamanders are a native Pennsylvania species found not only in R. B. Winter State Park but throughout much of the Appalachian Mountains. They typically grow to be approximately 8 inches long, with their tails accounting for nearly two-thirds of their length. The coloring of Eastern Long-tailed Salamanders can range from bright yellow to various shades of oranges and reds, with a series of black dots and dashes running down the length of their back and tail.

Eastern Long-tailed Salamanders are found in streams, springs, caves, and ponds, or nearby under rocks, fallen trees, and other natural or artificial debris near water. On rainy nights, they can often be found on roadways that are along streams, lakeshores, vernal pools, or other bodies of water. You’ll often find them around bridges over streams or near where culverts or drainpipes are running under roads. During these periods of rain, they can often be found on the forest floor, using the wet weather to migrate or to hunt for various insects and other invertebrates.

Fun fact: Eastern Long-tailed Salamanders can detach their tails to escape from predators, a process known as autotomy! Their tails will eventually regrow, although they may be shorter or differently shaped.

As the remnants of Hurricane Debby move through the mountains of Central Pennsylvania this week, keep an eye out for these colorful salamanders, as well as other species of amphibians, as they move around the environment in the rain!

#RBWinterWildlifeWednesday - Eastern Chipmunk

Join us for today’s edition of #RBWinterWildlifeWednesday as we explore one of the most common and easily recognized mammals in the park—the Eastern Chipmunk!

As a member of the squirrel family, Eastern Chipmunks are a frequent sight throughout Pennsylvania. They thrive in our deciduous forests, where dense underbrush and abundant leaf litter provide ideal conditions for foraging and burrow construction. They're also often found in suburban areas, parks, and gardens, where they take advantage of human-provided food sources like birdseed, garden vegetables, and dropped picnic items.

Adult Eastern Chipmunks typically weigh between 2½ and 4 ounces and grow up to 8 to 10 inches in length, with their bushy tails making up about a third of their total length. They have soft, short, reddish-brown fur, accented by distinctive white, black, and gray stripes along their backs. One of their most remarkable features is the large, expandable pouches in their cheeks, which they use to carry food back to their burrows, sometimes transporting dozens of seeds at once!

These excellent diggers create burrows that can extend over 30 feet and include multiple entrances, storage chambers, and tunnels. Inside these burrows, they stockpile nuts, seeds, acorns, and other food items to sustain them through the winter months until spring. Although they face predation from a variety of animals, including hawks, snakes, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, owls, coyotes, and domestic cats, these predators usually don't significantly impact local chipmunk populations.

Next time you're at the park, keep an eye out for these lively creatures as they dart through the underbrush in search of food!

#RBWinterWildlifeWednesday - Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

On today’s edition of #RBWinterWildlifeWednesday, we take a look at one of the smallest migratory birds that visit R. B. Winter State Park – the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird!

Weighing in at only 2 to 6 grams and reaching 3 to 3.5 inches in length as fully grown adults, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are one of the smallest of the more than 150 bird species documented at the park. These tiny birds are easily recognized by their distinctive plumage: iridescent green on their back and the top of their head, and white on their undersides. Males have a brilliant iridescent red coloring on their throats, which gives the species its name.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are a migratory species that arrive in Central Pennsylvania around the beginning of May. They can be found in open woodlands, gardens, orchards, and other areas with abundant flowering plants. At R. B. Winter State Park, they can be found throughout the forest, but the best place to look for them is at the Park Office. It is not unusual to see a dozen or more hummingbirds using their long, slender bills to sip nectar from the bee balm planted there or from the feeders that the park staff put out for them.

They stay around the area of the park through the summer until August, when they begin their journey south to Central America to spend the winter months. Many birds will fly through the southern states to Texas and then on into Mexico, while others reach Louisiana before launching themselves out over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Flying continuously for up to 500 miles, they can reach the Yucatan Peninsula in 18 to 24 hours. Towards the end of the following winter, they begin building their energy reserves before once again returning north. A hummingbird that winters in the jungles near Merida, Mexico and returns to R. B. Winter State Park would need to fly over 1,500 miles—a journey it undertakes twice a year, every year of its life!

The next time you visit the park, be sure to stop at the office where you can sit and watch the amazing aerial acrobatics of these incredible birds.