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Wildlife
Click here to view a list of birds observed on our property. |
Click here to view the Checklist of Upper Texas Coast Birds
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| As soon as the water level in the pond was deep enough, we stocked it with Bluegill Bream and Channel Catfish. The first batch of 100 Bluegill Bream and 2000 Fathead Minnows were released on April 29. These fish were undersized and on May 20th, Danbury Fish Farms provided another batch of 100 larger fish for free. |
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Date of photo: May 20, 2000 |
Date of photo: April 22, 2003 |
| I put up two Purple Martin houses as soon as possible after moving here. Each year we are lucky to have several Purple Martins move in. They are a lot of fun to watch, especially during the evening hours. |
| We released 100 4-6" and 50 6-8" Channel Catfish on June 22nd. |
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Date of photo: June 22, 2000 |
Date of photo: June 22, 2000 |
| Of all the Channel Catfish we released, only one died. There are many more catfish in the pond now and they really put on a show at feeding time. As we approach the bridge (where we usually feed them) you can see the water moving as the catfish move en masse to meet us. Sometimes they even come up onto the bank to get food pellets. A lot of the Catfish are over 24" now. |
| Each year a family of Kildeer nest somewhere on the property. You can tell when they are nesting because they put on the old "broken wing" show to lure you away from the nest. When I see them doing this, I locate the nest and mark it so I will avoid it while mowing. This is often difficult to do because the eggs blend into the surrounding area so well. They always lay 4 eggs; two or three hatch each year. |
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Date of photo: April 20, 2001 |
Date of photo: December 27, 2002 |
| We have seen this guy a couple of times. Pheasant are not normally found this far south. I understand that someone in the neighborhood raised some a few years ago and a few escaped. They seem to be surviving in the wild out here. They aren't very wild, though. |
Date of photo: March 10, 2003 |
| See what I mean by saying "not very wild"? I took this photo from our back patio - he was about 12 feet away. |
| Shortly after moving here, a Muscovy duck moved in and nested in the trees on the edge of the property. We called her AFLAC. Unfortunately, she was killed by a coyote. |
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Date of photo: August 10, 2001 |
Date of photo: September 8, 2001 |
| Each year we look forward to the Hummingbirds that migrate through here. They usually arrive sometime in April and stay through May. They come through again in August or September. |
| Mama Kildeer doesn't seem to be very happy with me and the camera. Note the four eggs in the background. |
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Date of photo: April 7, 2002 |
Date of photo: May 28, 2002 |
| Here is 2/3 of the brood that hatched in the spring of 2002 |
| There are lots of rabbits around. They are so tame that you can walk right up to them. |
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Date of photo: June 17, 2002 |
Date of photo: May 30, 2002 |
| Red-Eared Slider turtles showed up shortly after the pond filled. They are very tame now and will come around when we feed the fish. |
| We are pretty sure these are White Ibis - link |
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Date of photo: April 20, 2003 |
Date of photo: February 21, 2004 |
| Double-Crested Cormorants
Link to www.saltgrassflats.com |
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron.
link to www.saltgrassflats.com |
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Date of photo: April 22, 2003 |
Date of photo: September 11, 2001 |
| Catfish feeding time |
| White Ibis |
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Date of photo: February 6, 2004 |
Date of photo: March 28, 2004 |
| Black Bellied Whistling Duck |
| Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks |
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Date of photo: May 20, 2004 |
Date of photo: August 2, 2004 |
| Red-Tailed Hawk |
| Belted Kingfisher |
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Date of photo: August 6, 2004 |
Date of photo: March 7, 2006 |
| Bobwhite Quail |
| Canada Goose |
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Date of photo: March 9, 2008 |
