Mike his wife Andrea and I went for a little cruise over to Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve today in search of new flora and fauna for our life list. Weather conditions were excellent sunny around 80 degrees and low humidity. The preserve,located off the beaten path accessible from Evergreen Mills road in Loudon County, is an 1840’s dwelling situated on rolling open hills and some areas of mixed forest adjacent to Goose Creek. 

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 Today we set our sites on birds along Goose Creek and the adjacent riparian forest that separates the creek (more like a small river) from the open rolling hills meadow habitat leading up to the Natue Center.  Birding quickly turned to amphibian searching given that many of the birds chose to be high in the densely coverd canopy and  could only be identified by their calls . We prefer to see things!!!  We caefully lifted a few logs and and rocks near the creek and found two species of Salamanders.

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(above: Mike checks for more salamanders in spring that feeds into Goose Creek.

Both of the same Genus Eurycea but two different species the common names of which are known as longtail and two line salamanders.

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Further along the trail Mikes wife Andrea discoverd a garter snake and some juvenile spring peepers.

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 Overall a fun time and new site to explore in the future.

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Below me holding one of the two juvenile spring peepers Andrea found.

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