Berry Springs Preserve Herps of Texas report, 18Jun2016

Ten people (including five new participants - welcome, Mary, Liam, Evan, Sean, and Jaime !) came out on a hot and humid evening and observed five amphibian species at Berry Springs Preserve on June 18, 2016: Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Call Index = 1), American Bullfrog (CI = 1), Gulf Coast Toad (CI = 1), Green Tree Frog (CI = 3), and Blanchard's Cricket Frog (CI = 3). We got to see two Green Tree Frogs - one each in the little Redbud trees on either side of the path to the fishing pier - and one of them while it was calling ! We ended the night with a Rio Grande Leopard Frog calling from under the fishing pier that we were standing on.
We also heard the Great Kiskadee before sunset, and a Great Horned Owl, coyotes, and bats on the bat detector after sunset.
The small pond north of the improved campground was mostly dried up, so we stayed near the main pond, but we also checked out the ditch in the pecan orchard and the boardwalk between the dam and the creek.
The monitoring period was 20:05 - 21:35.
Participants were Kathy, Mary & Liam & Evan & Sean (thanks, guys, for finding the Gulf Coast Toad for us), Christie, Charles, Heike (thanks for finding one of the Green Tree Frogs for us), Jaime (thanks for finding the other Green Tree Frog for us), and Vincent.
Environmental Conditions at the main pond at sunset:

• Air temperature = 84.9 deg F (79.3 deg F during the final five-minute listening period)
• Water temperature = 84.5 deg F
• Sky = No or few clouds
• Water level = average

• Relative humidity at sunset = 53 % (62 % during the final five-minute listening period)
  There was still an impressive amount of amphibian activity considering it's almost the summer solstice. Although the rains have shut off for the past two weeks, we're still seeing the effects of the wet spring (e.g, the well at the pond is still flowing under artesian pressure).

Posted on 19 de junho de 2016, 08:55 PM by k_mccormack