TEXAS CRITTERS

TEXAS CRITTERS
The following pictures were taken on or near our property in Brazoria County, Texas.
Brackets indicate the approximate date of original photo.

Our property is located southeast of City of Brazoria, about a mile south of Brazos River, on a flat coastal plain 22 feet above sea level (map). We're surrounded by animals!

Neighborhood domestic animals: dogs, cats, cows, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, guinea fowl, peafowl.
Native creatures: lizards, fire ants, snakes, crawfish, frogs, toads, egrets, ibises, owls, vultures.
Migratory birds: ecologically, this area is known as the Columbia Bottomlands, an area of dense hardwood forests forming an important landing site for migratory birds.

BIRDS (Aves)
Fulvous whistling-duck (Dendrocygna bicolor).

[04/16/04]

[04/16/04]

[04/16/04]

[04/16/04]

[05/13/04]

[07/19/04]

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) (female).

[07/19/04]

Crow.

[09/09/04]

Vultures, the morning after spending the night in the Honey Locust tree in our front yard.

[04/13/04]

[04/13/04]

[04/13/04]

Guinea Fowl, feeding in our back yard. They belong to one of our neighbors, but they wander loose in the neighborhood, marching in a procession along the road or through back yards. Lucy and Willie go nuts when they march down the road in front of our house.

[04/13/04]

[04/13/04]

[04/13/04]

[04/13/04]

[04/13/04]

Peacock. They belong to one of our neighbors, but they wander loose in the neighborhood, in groups of two or three.

[08/08/04]

[08/08/04]

Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), so named because they follow grazing cattle around so they can catch bugs stirred up by the cattle. They also follow power lawnmowers around for the same reason. Note the relatively short beak (cf. ibis).

[04/13/04]

[04/16/06]

[04/16/06]

[06/12/04]

[09/12/04]

[09/12/04]

White ibis (Eudocimus albus). Note the long down-curved beak (cf. egret).

[05/19/04]

[06/23/04]

[06/23/04]

Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula).

[04/15/04]

[04/15/04]

Pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus).

[05/15/04]

[05/15/04]

Mocking Bird (a very persistent male who spends days on end singing non-stop in our big Honey Locust tree).

[07/01/04]

Turkey with chicks. Possibly wild, possibly feral, possibly wandering pets.

[06/12/04]

[06/12/04]

[07/19/04]

[07/12/04]

Chukar (Alectoris chukar).

[07/14/04]

[07/14/04]

REPTILES (Reptilia)
Anoles are everywhere: in the trees, on the ground, behind the window shutters, on the power line, inside the garage. Length: 2" to 4".

[04/13/04]

[04/13/04]

[06/12/04]

[06/12/04]

[06/12/04]

[07/19/04]

[07/19/04]

[07/19/04]

[08/09/04]

Geckos are everywhere too: on the kitchen window screen (illuminated by a flashlight) and even in the shower. Lizards rule by day; geckos rule by night. Length: 1" to 3".

[04/16/04]

[04/16/04]

[08/09/04]

Southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix), living in a hollow Live Oak; she disappeared after Neal clobbered her with a hoe. Length: about 18 inches.

[06/20/04]

[06/20/04]

[06/20/04]

AMPHIBIANS (Amphibia)
Toad (?) (juvenile, sitting on a brick to provide a scale reference).

[06/20/04]

Toad (mature, in residence in a potting tray).

[06/02/04]

[06/02/04]

Tree frog (juvenile, in a bottle to provide a scale reference).

[07/22/04]

[07/22/04]

MAMMALS (Mammalia)
Feral cat.

[06/12/04]

INSECTS
Female Mud Dauber Wasp

[08/25/04]

[08/28/04]

[08/28/04]

Woolly Bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella).

[07/19/04]

June Beetle (one of thousands that hang around our front door when the porch light is on).

[07/14/04]

Paper Wasps (all over the place, just like they were in Utah).

[07/01/04]

[07/01/04]

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly.

[07/22/04]

[07/22/04]

Fireant nests. Lumps of dirt like these litter the lawn, and raise havoc with the lawnmower.
Height: 1" to 10".

[04/15/04]

[04/15/04]

OTHER CRITTERS
Unidentified millipede (who spent an entire night in this same place, near the front door).

[05/19/04]

Crawfish towers. Towers like these litter the lawn, and raise havoc with the lawnmower.
Height: 3" to 5".

[04/15/04]

[04/15/04]

And finally, we have several local Barred Owls (Strix varia). We hear them a lot at night, but we've never seen them during the day, so no picture. Their call is unmistakable:

"Who hoots for you? Who hoots for youoooooo?."
Check out the e-nature website to hear their call.