Warm, Dry Winter...No Newts?

With only about 9.8" of rain so far this winter season (compared to a long-term average so far of 11.7") we are facing a relatively warm, dry winter. Reported to be in "La Nina", we are looking at the first two weeks of February as being dry and in the upper 60's. January and February are generally our big rain months, so it looks like the highly variable climate of California has spun off a dry one. As we drive on our county road to and from Hastings, we keep unofficial count of the number of California newts (Taricha torosa) killed on the road. Remarkably, we have seen very few newts at all, alive or dead. Maybe this is defining the kind of winter when the newts just stay home? Elsewhere on the Hastings website we tell the story of how the newts can hike (ok- walk slowly) up to 5 miles each winter and spring, to and from the vernal pools where they breed. They spend the dry summers in the north-facing moist forest floors. Compared to last year, when we had abundant grass growth, this looks like it will be a more average year for biomass production. Of course, this can all change; recall the "Miracle March" of 1991.