Archivos de diario de febrero 2019

14 de febrero de 2019

Freshwater Mussels of Texas report, 12Jan2019

On January 12, 2019, two people did random shoreline freshwater mussel search along two of the Highland Lakes in Burnet County, Texas:
• Lakeside Park and the mouth of Backbone Creek in Marble Falls (Lake Marble Falls);
• Sunset Point on Lake LBJ (a private RV resort) west of Marble Falls (Lake LBJ); and,
• Bluebriar Park in Granite Shoals (Lake LBJ).

All three parks are located in the Colorado River basin; permission was obtained from the Sunset Point property management prior to beginning our survey. Water levels were down approximately seven feet in Lake Marble Falls, and four feet in Lake LBJ, due to an intentional drawdown by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) for dock maintenance and cleanup after historic flooding in the fall of 2018. The weather was sunny, but cold and windy.

The monitoring period at Lakeside Park (lat/long approximately 30.567, -98.279) was 9:00 – 11:30 AM and we walked approximately 1,200 feet. The substrate was mostly silt. Non-native Asian Clams were observed, but no non-native Zebra Mussels were observed. Three native freshwater mussel species were observed:
• Threeridge – 2 valves;
• Giant Floater – 4 alive, 3 shells; and,
• Tampico Pearlymussel – 2 valves.

The monitoring period at Sunset Point (lat/long approximately 30.564, -98.342) was 1:15 – 2:30 PM and we walked approximately 550 feet. The substrate was mostly sand with some gravel and a few cobbles. Non-native Asian Clams were observed, but no non-native Zebra Mussels were observed. Four native freshwater mussel species were observed:
• Giant Floater – 6 alive, 9 shells, 1 valve;
• Tampico Pearlymussel – 1 shell, 1 valve;
• Bleufer – 1 shell; and,
• Southern Mapleleaf – 2 valves.

The monitoring period at Bluebriar Park (lat/long approximately 30.593, -98.395) was 2:50 – 3:30 PM and we walked approximately 350 feet. The substrate was mostly sand with some silt and gravel. Non-native Asian Clams were observed, but no non-native Zebra Mussels were observed. Four native freshwater mussel species were observed:
• Threeridge – 1 shell;
• Giant Floater – 1 alive, 4 shells;
• Tampico Pearlymussel – 1 shell, 2 valves; and,
• Southern Mapleleaf – 2 valves.

Survey participants were Kathy and Amy. Many thanks to Marsha May for remote help with identification (texting with photos !) throughout the day.

Publicado el febrero 14, 2019 11:36 TARDE por k_mccormack k_mccormack | 12 observaciones | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

18 de febrero de 2019

Berry Springs Preserve Herps of Texas report, 16Feb2019

Ten people met at Berry Springs Preserve on a much cooler night than the record heat the day before. We first walked down to the middle slough springhead (by the bird blind), and then over to the wet-weather pond north of the improved campground, but this was the third month in a row that we did not observe any amphibians during our hour-long monitoring period. Amy and Mike checked out the main ponds afterwards, however, and they heard three different Rio Grande Leopard Frogs calling at CI = 1, so it's good to know that there are still some frogs in the area.
The monitoring period was 18:20 - 19:20.
Participants were Kathy, Amy & Mike, Mike, Hunter, Holly & Ben & Matt, Nancy, and Diane.
Environmental conditions at the middle slough springhead at sunset:

  • Air temperature = 50.7 deg F
  • Water temperature = 66 deg F
  • Sky = Mostly Cloudy
  • Water level = Above Average
  • Relative humidity = 51 %
Publicado el febrero 18, 2019 05:51 TARDE por k_mccormack k_mccormack | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario