Frog voices, snakes, lizards and milkweed...

We have gotten a little crazy.

Our trips are now interrupted by organized hikes (this week was Wildflowers and Grasses of the Texas Hill Country).

We brake for critters. OK. We have taken "game drives" as long as I can remember, but now even walking down to the swimming hole results in frequent stops to observe (and photograph, if possible) creatures who run, climb, or slither past us. Evenings can be spent listening between the whining of insects and growling of 18-wheelers on the roadway for the trill, click and chatter of frogs (calling for mates).

And it's not enough to photograph and identify the creature. One must document location, temperature, sunlight or moonlight, etc.

So, here are the best creatures from this week's trip to the Frio River. We saw more, but I won't bore you with the bad photos (well, maybe only a few). We had a wonderful time. No creatures were harmed.*

Birds:

This regal bird is a Great Egret. I only knew because we saw one a few weeks ago on the coast. I stalked it and took MANY photos. This is one of my favorites. We call this a transient bird as it is only a temporary visitor to this pond. It was there only on the 4th day.

On the morning of our second day on the river,  I was scrambling down the cliff and started hearing the weirdest bird calls in the tree line at the top of the cliff. Then the birds flew back in the direction I had come. I later discovered them on the pond - Black-bellied Whistling Tree Ducks.** Yes, they do whistle. They are a rowdy bunch. I counted as many as 21 that first morning. There were seven on the second morning. There were none on the third.

Two Mallard Drakes call this pond home. They will come when we throw our bread leftovers. Someone also spreads corn in the shallows. We saw it on our last day.

It's a poor photo. I would call it a little brown bird, but I am going to guess it is a Canyon Wren.

 We did have a number of run-ins with a Green-headed Kingfisher. DH and I saw him during our first swim.  He tick-tick-ticked as if he was trying to get a response from the familiar cricket frogs. We shivered in the cold river and memorized his coloring. Then we looked him up on the Internet and verified his identity. We heard him the next day, but didn't see him. The following day we saw him and my sister got a photo just before he flew down Buffalo Creek (a small creek that flows into the river near our swimming area).

We heard owls at night and saw plenty of turkey vultures. We also saw a flock of turkeys running back and forth across a road near a low water crossing. 

And a lone cardinal came to bid us farewell on our last walk down the road before we left.

Deer:

Three does in a field. We almost always see one or two White-tailed does.  We saw others, but this was my best photo.

While sitting at the river OC saw deer just across the river. They appeared to be exotics.

An Axis Buck waits at this gate regularly. I wonder if someone feeds them there.

Insects:

Red Harvester Ants. They have been gone a good while, but now are making a "comeback." There are 4 large beds near the pond.

I was trying to catch butterflies at these blooms, but caught this pollinator instead.

Large milkweed bug on milkweed seedpod, Pearl Milkweed.

Blue damsel flies. Comanche Dancer (Argia barretti)

Lizards & Frogs (and the like):

DH and I headed down the cliff trail and discovered these little hoppers all over the place. For now I am guessing they are Texas Toads. Someone will help me on one of the reporting sites and I will correct this, if necessary. That goes for all the identifications I make here. I'll watch for corrections. The Great Egret was confirmed already. Guessed wrong - identified as Gulf Coast Toad by some real biologists!

We wanted to measure it somehow and so we used a dime. We saw at least 5 of these guys on the cliff trail and the river path.

Is this one of the same toads? a frog? Found hopping out of the river.***

This may be a small Texas Spiny lizard. He tried to get away. When I pursued him, he pretended to be part of the tree.

On a totally different walk I heard this guy. He also attempted to blend into the tree and did so beautifully. Texas Spiny Lizard?

While gathering driftwood I saw this Green Anole. I was searching through the large piles of wood left by recent floods and trying to avoid dangerous creatures. So I noticed when something moved. Lucky for me, a lizard.

Another Green Anole we found on the river path. I was looking for more toads when he ran by and froze, hoping I wouldn't see him.

Common House Gecko. This guy is not a Texas Native. I forget how he got here...hitched a ride on nursery plants or in a fruit shipment. This guy was outside our room, harvesting insects that gathered around the outside lights.

 Slithery (creepy) things:

On our way to swim we scared ourselves and this snake on the road by the pond. We think it is a Ring-necked snake. We didn't touch him or turn him over. We leave snakes alone and usually try not to bother anything.

I never see these things, but saw two this week. Maybe I am paying closer attention. I was looking for frogs/toads, but took a photo of this Oxidus gracilis (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae). It's a millipede.

Another one just a little further down the path.

Wolf Spider on the window screen outside our room.*

Crab spider (?)

Plants:

Pearl Milkweed pods

Drying milkweed pod

Milkweed seed

Dried milkweed pod with seeds

Another view of milkweed seed pod

Asters

Mullein

Okay, not a plant. Fungal brackets on log in pile of driftwood.

Frogfruit, Phyla nodiflora

Another view of the flower.

Cypress Tree with cones

NOTES:

* We saw the Wolf Spider on the window screen. We walked down to the pond and noticed the spider was gone. "I hope he didn't get in," I said when I noticed the window was open. Later, I saw him crawling across the floor as I got ready for bed. I grabbed the broom and attempted to gently sweep him out (Really, spiders are good - I just had visions of him on me in my sleep). I checked after the sweeping and he didn't look too good. But later, after I walked down the porch and back, I checked on him. Once again, he was gone. 

**https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-bellied_Whistling-Duck/lifehistory

***An iNaturalist amphibian expert identified this as a Blanchard's Cricket Frog. We had wondered where they were as we almost always hear them at the river. This one was across from our swimming area.