Berry Springs Preserve Herps of Texas report, 19Sep2022
In spite of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there was a small group outing to Berry Springs Park and Preserve again this month.
Four amphibian species were observed in the sloughs and ponds: Rio Grande Leopard Frog (CI = 2), Blanchard's Cricket Frog (CI = 1), Gulf Coast Toad (CI = 0), and possibly Green Treefrog (CI = 1). Audio recordings were obtained for two species (Rio Grande Leopard Frog and Green Treefrog), and Rio Grande Leopard Frog and Gulf Coast Toad was also documented with photos. Blanchard's Cricket Frog called briefly only a few times, so no documentation was obtained for this species. If it was truly a Green Treefrog, it was a very strange call - only half of the usual two-syllable call.
[UPDATE 28Oct2022: In the member slideshow prior to the start of the Good Water Master Naturalist monthly meeting on 27Oct2022, I saw that a Squirrel Treefrog was photographed at the main pond on 16Oct2022. I've never seen or heard this species before, but I listened to an online recording of the call and confirmed that our strange Green Treefrog was actually a Squirrel Treefrog. This the first time that I've observed it at Berry Springs Park and Preserve over the past 13 years of monthly amphibian monitoring there.]
We saw Chimney Swifts overhead before sunset, and two separate armadillos after sunset. There were also A LOT of little bugs attracted to our lights - maybe they were coming from all of the decaying vegetation around the ponds.
According to the USGS gauge station at Berry Creek at Airport Road near Georgetown, TX (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?site_no=08105095&PARAmeter_cd=00045), there had been 1.24 inches of rain on 30Aug2022 and 0.61 inches of rain on 04Sep2022 (15 days before monitoring). The ponds and sloughs were slowly refilling, but no water was flowing over the dam, and the flow in Berry Creek was lower than normal.
The monitoring period was 19:35 - 20:35.
Participants were Kathy, Carolyn, and Christie.
Environmental conditions at the main ponds at sunset:
Air temperature = 84.7 deg F
Water temperature = 83.5 deg F
Sky = no/few clouds
Water level = much below average
Relative humidity = 46 %