Around 3:30PM on June 3, 2007 I saw another type of wild animal in my yard. For the 1st time I saw two deer on our Central Texas property. The deer looked like big, fat does. I think they were looking for water.
It was the strangest thing. It was the 1st day in many days I could take a day off from my hectic schedule. I grabbed the digital camera because I had a feeling I ought to go outside and have a look around. It is close to the time of year when the cactus bloom. I went out to check if there were any large profusions of yellow & orange flowers covering the local indigenous cacti. As I walked toward the front of the property to look where I know there are large cacti growing, I was completely taken aback by the 2 large healthy looking cervine beauties. Unfortunately my digital camera switched off automatically before I could snap a picture. I was not able to take a digital picture of the deer on the lot where I live, but I can still see them clearly in my mind & it makes me smile.
We've lived here in this Central Texas location for about 6 years. Other wild creatures I have observed here include the following:
Scorpion
Wild Gar, Bass, Catfish, Perch, Carp
Mollusks
Crawfish (1 was the size of a small lobster!)
Frogs and Toads (Vivid green tree frogs 7-8-07)
Turtles, Box & Snapping varieties I think
This morning while leaving for work, I saw a turtle in the driveway. It not unusual to see turtles in the pond but this was the first time I saw a turtle out of the pond and up close to the house. I walked over and looked at the turtle but I did not have a camera with me, so I did not get a picture, darn it. I don't know why but I felt like the turtle was female. Her shell was about 12 inches along her backbone and about 8 inches across her midsection. She was mostly green with small red marks on the sides of her face. I did not try to touch her, she was obviously scared because she pulled into her shell. I looked at her and made noises like I make when I talk to my cats. She poked her head out of her shell and looked at me. I went to my car and she scurried across the yard really quickly in the other direction. I made sure not to run over her as I left for work. I wondered why the turtle would get out of the pond, since I rarely see any of the turtles leave the pond. I think there is between 6-12 turtles living in the pond at home in front of the house. (Turtle in yard close to house & this passage observed 6/15/07.)
Various lizards
Alligator (Observed 7-01-07. See Alligator or Crocodile Blog )
Rattle Snakes, Water Moccasins, Rat snakes...
Just took a snake out of the house! I think it was a rat snake. It did not have rattles but looked like an 18-24" long, thin, 1/2 diameter at its widest pint, snake with markings similar to a rattle snake. I was sweeping the kitchen out out when I saw the snake. I moved a small cabinet where I store cat foot. It looked messy. As I swept I thought, "What kind of mess have the cats made now?... ...Oh sh*t the pile moves!" We moved the snake safely outside. (Observed 6/17/07)
Doves
Humming Birds
House Wrens
Cardinals
Buntings
Blue Jays
Purple Martins
Swallows, Scissor Tails
Hawks, Red tailed & other Raptors
Owls
Geese, various varieties
Cranes, White Egrets & Herons
Large Blue Herons
Vultures, various varieties
Mice & Rats (though the cats keep these hunted down)
Moles
Rabbit
Possum (I did not know Possum climbed trees until I lived here & one day I looked up to see a Possum staring at me from up in the trees).
Beaver (We joke about the beavers being industrial sized, they leave huge wood chips in their wake.)
Raccoons (A mama decided to deliver her babies in one of the space between the walls of the house one year. The little ones were very, very cute.)
Coyote (Rare but I heard stories about coyotes & wolves being loose in my area for years - wild & feral & pack dogs are really hard & cats & some livestock in this area.)
Foxes (added 6/01/09)
Now DEER!
We have also seen evidence (footprints) of wild pigs
Have smelled skunk
Not wild but loose on the property
Lots of cats
Lots of dogs
Horses (belonging to the neighbors, what a surprise it was that morning to wake up to horses in the yard)
As I remember or see more wild animals close to home I will probably continuously update this blog entry
Since I did not get a good photo of the deer, I am including a pic of a baby bunny we tried to rescue with this blog. Here is a pic of the bunny we tried to rescue...
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