Annandale Ranch (May 21-23, 2019)

Annandale Ranch trip, Uvalde County, Texas, 5/21/19 15:00 to 5/23/19 12:00, with Jo Wilson, Carol Bennett, Liz Wilson Marince, Valarie Bristol, Debbie Volker, Doris Coward, Ann Bishop, Penny Potter, Lee Decker, George Cofer, Bill Cofer, Brenda Ladd, and Clifton Ladd. Areas visited included the main ranch house, Frio River near the main house, Frio Bat Cave, Katherine's yard, walk to airstrip pasture, The Big Woods, and various points between. Estimated distance by car and on foot about 10 miles. See eBird checklist https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56671248.

We went to the Frio Bat Cave at about 7:05 p.m. on 5/21/19, and cave swallows were flying around the cave with about 50 or so in the sky at any given time, but flying in and out of the cave, making it impossible to count the total number of swallows with any accuracy. We think they were all cave swallows. This went on until about 8:40, when all the swallows went in the cave and there was not one flying around. About 3 minutes later, at about 8:43 pm CDT (about an hour or more later than usual) was when we saw the first Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) fly out of the cave. Less than a minute later we had a small stream of bats flying out, then within seconds a big column of bats flying out to the east. We saw one zone-tailed hawk trying to get a bat.

The Frio River was flowing nicely for this time of year. The gage USGS 08195000 Frio Rv at Concan, TX was at about 1200 to 1150 cfs during this time. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=08195000.

On Wednesday night, 5/22/19, about 9:30 pm, Liz and I went to the wetland area at 29.47486, -99.68901 to listen for frogs. We heard cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi), Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) (call was faster, shorter, and higher than H. versicolor), green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea), and Rio Grande leopard frogs (Lithobates berlandieri).

Thank you to George and Bill Cofer!

(Notes 146: 6-7)

Posted on May 25, 2019 09:47 PM by cliftonladd