Berry Springs Preserve Herps of Texas report, 20Oct2018

A feeling of fall was in the air as nine people came out for the monthly amphibian monitoring at Berry Springs Preserve. According to the nearby USGS gauge (08105095 Berry Ck at Airport Rd nr Georgetown, TX, http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?site_no=08105095&PARAmeter_cd=00045), there had been 4.9 inches of rain in the last week, and standing water was everywhere.
Rio Grande Leopard Frogs were seen in the orchard ditch and were calling (CI = 2) from the sloughs, ponds, grassy pools below the restrooms, and wet-weather pond north of the improved campground. Mike and Randy had seen a number of very young Western Narrow-mouthed Toads along the paths earlier, and Leona found one for us (CI = 0), no doubt a product of last month's calling activity. Randy saw an American Bullfrog (CI = 0) in the main pond; Hunter spotted three of them in the orchard ditch, and Amy got a long-distance photo of one of them. Bats were seen flying low over the ponds and orchard ditch.
The main monitoring period was 19:00 - 20:30. Amy and I went back to the orchard ditch until 21:00.
Participants were Kathy, Amy, Mike, Christie, Leona, Tonja, Randy & Sandra, and Hunter.
Environmental conditions at the main pond at sunset:

• Air temperature = 63.7 deg F
• Water temperature = 67 deg F
• Sky = Mostly cloudy
• Water level = Much above average
• Relative humidity at sunset = 67 %

Julkaistu lokakuu 21, 2018 02:57 IP. käyttäjältä k_mccormack