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Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021Staff Secure Entry to Bat Hibernaculum before Winter Hibernation Beginsby Katherine Etchison, MammalogistEach year, NCWRC staff visitan Avery County mine that servesas an important hibernaculum toseveral bat species to secure thesite against unauthorized entry.Bats are sensitive to disturbancewhen hibernating, especiallyspecies susceptible to WhiteNose Syndrome, so preventingunauthorized entry during winteris key. Multiple trips were madeto the mine during October andNovember to make necessaryrepairs before bats returned tothe mine to hibernate. A portionof the security fence was partially buried from a small landslideand further compromised byvandals, so additional posts wereinstalled, and the fencing was removed and replaced. Weak areasof the security fence were alsorepaired, and a damaged lockwas replaced. A thorough searchof the area was performed toensure no other points of entryhad been breached. Securitycameras in the area were alsomaintained, and photos wereturned over to law enforcement.A hibernaculum survey will beperformed in January to monitorhibernating bats in the mine.Conservation Technician, Joe Tomcho, Western WildlifeDiversity Supervisor, Kendrick Weeks, and Wildlife Diversity Technician, Kyle Shute, repair the bat gate inside anAvery County mine. (Katherine Etchison)Western Wildlife Diversity Supervisor, Kendrick Weeks, repairsthe security fence surrounding an Avery County mine.(Katherine Etchison)9

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021Zachary Lesch-Huie of TheAccess Fund and MikeReardon of the CarolinaClimbers Coalition point tothe ledge where peregrinefalcons attempted to nest atBig Lost Cove Cliff in AveryCounty in 2021.Lynn Willis of High South CreativeCameras and Climbers Answer Lingering Questions about Falconsby: Christine Kelly/ Western Bird and Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel BiologistEvery year, biologists monitorperegrine falcons nesting oncliffs by watching them from afarthrough spotting scopes. To get acloser look, the NCWRC partnerswith rock climbers to access theledges. These brief but exciting visits often answer a lot ofquestions staff couldn’t answerfrom hours of watching throughscopes. For instance, the climbers can see if the nest ledge isprotected from the elements byan overhanging roof and if it isinaccessible to mammalian predators. Prey remains found duringthese excursions tell biologistsabout the birds’ diets. At Big LostCove, climbers from The AccessFund and Carolina Climbers Coalition discovered remains of bluejays and woodpeckers. Theyalso found a rodent latrine in anadjacent ledge.Climbers also help deploycameras in nest ledges. In October, the Appalachian Mountain Rescue Team retrieved twocameras that were installed in anest ledge in Rutherford County back in January and set upnew cameras. The goal was tobetter understand why this sitesuffers chronic nest failure. Theyfound a few things: southernflying squirrels can access thisledge, which could result in eggpredation. The falcons neverlaid eggs at this ledge in 2020despite spending lots of timethere. Though falcons mostlyhunt birds, they will prey on batsand other mammals opportunistically. On two occasions, a falconwas pictured clutching a bat forits early morning breakfast. Thisalso brings to mind the questionof whether there are enoughprey in the Hickory Nut Gorgefor nesting pairs to raise a family.And most surprising was cameracontinue on next page10

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021Joel McCombs of the Appalachian Mountain Rescue Team perchesoutside the peregrine ledge at Chimney Rock (Corey Winstead)A male peregrine falcon (foreground) tidies the “nest scrape” whilethe female (background) looks on. Notice the blue-gray and whitecoloring and smaller size of the male compared to the brownish-gray and cream coloring of the larger femaledocumentation of a subadultfemale falcon in late winter andearly spring that observers neversaw from their spotting scopes.An adult female replaced herlater in the season.The remoteness of most ofthe peregrine falcon nest ledgesin the mountains poses a challenge for powering camerasand relaying images during thebreeding season. This fall, theCarolina Climbers Coalition andWhat is causing chronic nest failureamong peregrine falcons?A camera deployed on a nest ledgein Rutherford County providedbiologists with at least one possiblereason why this site suffers chronicnest failure: southern flying squirrels can access this ledge, whichcould result in egg predation.NCWRC Wildlife Diversity Technician Clifton Avery deployeda camera in another peregrinenest ledge. This camera willtransmit footage wirelessly toa home camera on the ground.The resident pair of falconsshowed up on camera immediately, and the male set to worksmoothing the nest “scrape”while his mate looked on.Nest cameras are only usefulat cliffs where the falcons returnto the same nest ledge eachyear. At some cliffs, they rotatebetween ledges, making it aguessing game as to where todeploy a camera. Where nestcameras are a good option,biologists hope they will provideinsight into causes of nest failure, turnover of individuals, andmore. They can be the eyes andears of biologists, and hopefullysave staff time and thousands ofmiles of driving.11

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021A hatchling Green Salamander active on wet, bare rock. Note the bluecoloring, as it can take many months to develop normal coloration.Ben DaltonStaff Document Highest Number of New Green Salamander Sites in aSingle Seasonby Lori Williams, Western Amphibian BiologistIn fall 2021, Wildlife Diversitystaff and a longtime volunteerconducted rock outcrop surveys for state threatened GreenSalamander that occupies theBlue Ridge Escarpment of western North Carolina (Henderson,Transylvania, Jackson and Macon counties). They completedthe most surveys ever in a fallseason for the species (n 743) at462 individual rock outcrop sitesand documented the highestnumber of new sites in a singleseason (n 41). Out of the 743surveys, 237 had at least oneGreen Salamander for a successrate of 31.9%, almost identical toefforts in fall 2020 (736 surveys,32.3% success).As an important indicator ofnest success, at least one hatch-ling Green Salamander wasdocumented in 22 surveys at19 individual rock outcrop sites.At just one site, they observedat least nine hatchlings on therock surface and nine othersclimbing shrubs by their nestrocks at heights of more than 12feet above ground. Other habitatused by hatchlings, yearlings,older juveniles and adultscontinue on next page12

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021included not only the usual rockcrevices and out in the open onbare rock but also on the rocksurface under rock tripe and withinmoss, under bark pieces or othernatural cover on top of rocks, andon mature trees and shrubs adjacent to rock outcrops.Trees, and even tall shrubslike rhododendron and mountainlaurel, next to rock outcrops, arecritical for providing shade andkeeping humidity and moisture atsuitable levels for salamanders. Itis established in literature the roletrees and shrubs play for GreenSalamanders, which are highlyadapted to climb them, in termsof aiding dispersal and providingrefugia and foraging opportunities,but biologists’ actual observationof this unique habitat use is notvery common.In fall surveys, staff attempted tofocus more on looking in trees andshrubs than in years past. In addition to hatchlings at several sites,they found four adults and olderjuveniles climbing trees, 6-8 feethigh and up. On one occasion, anadult Green Salamander was observed 7 feet high, and 45 minuteslater, it had climbed to over 12 feethigh (and still climbing).Staff will continue these criticalpopulation monitoring and inventory surveys for Green Salamanders yearly. Going forward, theywill focus especially on learningmore about habitat use by all ageclasses, hatchlings through adults.An adult Green Salamander climbing 12 feet high (and still going) up a magnolia tree(Ben Dalton)When moist, rock tripe provides excellent cover and camouflage for this GreenSalamander (red arrow). (Ben Dalton)13

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021Bog Learning Network holds “Bogs & Brews” virtual meeting in Decemberby Gabrielle Graeter, Conservation Biologist/HerpetologistThe Bog Learning Network(BLN) is a consortium of scientists and land managers workingto advance the restoration andmanagement of Southern Appalachian Bogs. It provides aforum for sharing information andexperiences about bog management and conservation and helpsbog managers find resourcesand assistance. Strategies ofthe BLN include coordinatingprotection efforts for SouthernAppalachian wetlands, supporting on-the-ground conservation,facilitating and providing learningopportunities, and increasingBLN membership and outreach.Annual learning opportunitiesthat the BLN offers include fieldtrips and “work-and-learn” workdays, whereby a bog managergets much needed assistancein the field with a project, andsimultaneously the participantslearn about bogs and variousbog management techniques.When the pandemic beganin early spring 2020, the BogLearning Network’s (BLN) annualmeeting, scheduled for April, waspostponed indefinitely. The BLNsteering committee waited untillate summer 2021 to see if anin-person meeting would be possible but concluded that a virtualmeeting would be the safest wayto connect with members. There-14fore, the BLN Steering Committee, on which NCWRC’s GabrielleGraeter serves, planned the December 2021 “Bogs and Brews”virtual meeting.The December 2021 virtualmeeting was relatively short andheld at the end of the day sopeople could have a “brew” oftheir choice (tea, coffee, beer,etc.) and sit back and enjoy themeeting without worrying aboutgetting “Zoom fatigue.” Themeeting included updates fromthe BLN leadership and severalsub-committee leaders, followedby a variety of interesting talks– illegal turtle collection, theinfluence of site history on bogturtle abundance, communityclassification of Kentucky’s bogs,and the use of native ferns as abiological control for an invasiveplant species. During a sessiontitled “Postcards from the Field,”several BLN members sharedslides and talked for a fewminutes each about an excitingcontinue on next pageFigure 1. In fall 2021, a Bog Learning Network Work-n-Learn workday was heldwith participation limited to 10 people for safety due to the pandemic. Here arethe participants learning about the history of the wetland and property as wellas the objectives for the workday.

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021project. The meeting was a greatsuccess – 111 people registeredand at least 62 people attendedthe meeting live! Although it wasnot as good as meeting in person, the virtual format allowedthe BLN leadership to sharesome important BLN updates,hear about recent work by several members, and connect withmany of the BLN members.A screenshot of participants in the December 2021 virtual Bog LearningNetwork’s “Bogs and Brews” meeting.How YOU Can Support Wildlife Conservation in North CarolinaWhether you hunt, fish, watch, or just appreciate wildlife, you can help conserve North Carolina’s wildlifeand their habitats and keep North Carolina wild for future generations to enjoy.How? It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.123Donate to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund by checking Line No. 30 on your N.C. StateTax Form.Purchase a Wildlife Conservation Plate, which features an illustration of a PineBarrens Treefrog, for 30, with 20 going to the agency's Nongame andEndangered Wildlife Fund.Donate to the Wildlife Diversity Endowment Fund, a special fund where the accrued interest — notthe principal — is spent on programs that benefit species not hunted or fished. ncwildlife.org/donate15

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021N.C. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Newsby Jeff Hall, Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation BiologistDuring this final quarter of2021, field highlights includedupland snake surveys, NeuseRiver Waterdog surveys, andplacement of monitoring devices. Upland snakes encounteredduring this quarter includedEastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Carolina Pigmy Rattlesnake, Southern Hognose Snake,Northern Pine Snake and EasternCoachwhip. Surveys were conducted at numerous sites alongthe Coastal Plain and into theSandhills. Additionally, through acontact with a private landowner in Pender County, staff wereable to catch and photograph anEastern Coral Snake. Records forthis species are very few and farbetween so this was particularly rewarding. NeuseRiver Waterdog surveyswere completed atseven Craven Countyhistorical sites. Unfortunately,the salamanders were onlydetected at one of the sevenlocalities. Numerous automatedaudio recording devices (akaFrogloggers) were deployed fordetection of winter-breeding anurans such as Ornate Chorus Frogand Gopher Frog. Trail cameraswere installed to observe behaviors of rattlesnakes, most notablytargeting the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. Analysis ofautomated data will be ongoingin future quarters.Pine Barrens Gentian from Onslow Countyblooms in the fall in open grassy habitat,such as is found in longleaf pine savannas(Jeff Hall)Eastern Coral Snake found in PenderCounty (Jeff Hall)16

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021During upland snakesurveys in the CoastalPlain and the Sandhills, staff encounteredseveral species, including (top left) EasternDiamondback Rattlesnake, Eastern Coachwhip (middle left)All photos by Jeff HallNeuse River Waterdogs (left) found at only one of seven historical sites in Craven County (right)17

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021Alligator Monitoring Continues in 2021by Alicia Davis, Alligator BiologistIn spring 2017, NCWRC initiated a new marking and datacollection protocol for all alligators handled by agency staffand permitted external handlers,including Alligator Control Agents,Jurisdictional Alligator Handlers,and scientific researchers*.First, every handled alligator isscanned to determine if it hasalready been tagged. Handlersmark all new captures withan internal Passive IntegratedTransponder (PIT) tag, collect twoThese data are of greatbenefit to the agency’s alligatorconservation efforts. Equippedwith this information, biologistsare able to learn more aboutgrowth rates and movements ofindividuals at different life stages, evaluate the effectiveness ofvarious management practices,and identify communities thatcould benefit most from outreach programs with guidanceon coexisting with alligators.tissue samples from tail scutes,determine sex, take body sizemeasurements, and record GPScoordinates of locations of capture and release. Measurementsand locations are recorded for allrecaptured individuals. To date,800 wild alligators have beencaptured, marked and released inNorth Carolina using this method.Data were collected from 283 alligators in 2021, 57 of which wererecaptured individuals that hadbeen marked previously.continue on next page225200175Number of tureNew2018Nuisance 021Surveys/ResearchWild Alligators Captured, Marked, and Released in North Carolina by Year (2017-2021)* Scientific researchers include Dr. Stephen Dinkelacker, Framingham State University and Dr. Scott Belcher, NC State University18

Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October-December 2021In addition to data collectionfrom live alligators, NCWRCbegan collecting data from alldead alligators in 2017. To date,data have been collected from61 dead alligators, 53 of whichwere found dead. Of the 13alligators that were found deadin 2021, three were hit by motorvehicles, one was inadvertently captured and drowned in acommercial pump, six appearedto have been illegally killed, andthe cause of death for threealligators was not apparent. Oneof the six poached alligatorsity or euthanized. Two alligatorswere euthanized in 2021 for thesereasons. Within the range of natural alligator occurrence, one additional alligator was euthanized in2021 due to severe injuries from amotor vehicle strike.Femurs and other tissuesamples were also collected fromeach dead alligator. In 2022,stored alligator femurs will besent to a laboratory where growthrings in bone cross-sections willbe analyzed in an attempt to ageeach individual.was found shot in a remote areawhere it had been relocated sixmonths prior.In rare situations in which alligators are found in locations faroutside of alligator range, agency staff must assume that thoseindividuals have been illegallykept in captivity. Due to concernsabout potential disease introductions and/or habituation to beingfed by humans, those individualsare not released into habitats thatsupport wild alligator populations;rather, those individuals must betransferred to permanent captiv-Alligators Mortalities in North Carolina by year (2017-2021)Mortality type2017New20182019Recap NewRecap New2020Recap 121308Found Dead50903018512153Total50904120615161NCWRC staff mark and collect data from all hatchlings found at nest sites.(Alicia Davis)19

housed within the agency's Wildlife Management and Inland Fisheries divisions. Program responsi-bilities principally include surveys, research and other projects for nongame and endangered wildlife species. Nongame species are animals without an open hunting, fishing or trapping season. Dr. Sara Schweitzer, Assistant Chief, Wildlife Diversity .