Finally found a salamander this year. I was moving around the old ass railroad tie that was our bridge over the creek and this little guy was hiding under one end. R loved holding it and was a bit sad when I told him it needed to go back under a rock so it didn't dry out and blow away like dust.
Our local salamanders are super docile and have a pretty cool greenish stripe down their backs. I only find a rare one on the farm. Each year I am lucky to find a single and that is with me all over under and around the farm.
The new temporary bridge is in place and I will be doing a bunch more work on it this summer. The beams will be separated and then I will attach planks to make a 3 foot wide bridge for us. It will be solid and stable and will last for a long time. I have to cut a ton of the over growth back along the creek but it is already much nicer and easier to cross.