I live on a hilltop adjacent to a wilderness preserve. I see a lot of wildlife up here. Some of it is interesting, some not. Here’s a summary:
| Animal | Most Recently Seen… | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Everywhere. Often right outside the MBR windows. | Always | |
| Rattlesnakes | Landscape bed at main (south/keypad) house entry | March 2012 | Prior to this, hadn’t seen any near the house since 2009. This guy had to be killed of course. |
| Bobcat | Jeep trail | November 2011 | Pic |
| Grey Fox | Backyard and Pool Deck | July 2017 | Pic 1 Pic 2 Pool Deck 2017 |
| Red Fox | Master Bedroom patio | December 2011 | Pic |
| Roadrunner | Driveway, lower garage area, MBR patio, east courtyard, pool deck | August 2017 | Pic |
| Coyote | Seen recently halfway down the hill. They are everywhere of course. | Feb 2017 | Roadrunner! Coyote’s after you! |
| Wild Turkey | Master Bedroom patio – right up to the window! | October 2015 | Best picture (from a few years ago); Recent picture (at MBR window); Video |
| Skunk | Driveway near retention pond | Feb 23 2013 | I drove right by and did not stop to take a picture |
| Golden Cheeked Warbler | Northeast slopes below old jeep trail | April 30th 2009 | Tastes good with ketchup! |
| Bats | Upper Garage / South Entry | August 24th 2009 | |
| Great Horned Owl | Owl box set up near lower jeep trail. Also seen along roadway. | August 2012 | Identified with help of Plateau Wildlife Mgmt. I haven’t seen the owls (either one) in a while; they are elusive so I hope they are still there. |
| Screech Owl | Owl box down north slope from MBR | Feb 2011 | Identified with help of Plateau Wildlife Mgmt |
| Cedar Waxwings | Flocking on the trees, east side of the MBR patio | March 16th 2010 | |
| Jackrabbits | Running across the driveway road | Mar 2017 | Picture from MBR window |
| Hopelessly Lost Humans | Knocking on my windows at night | July 2017 | This most recent one was lost in the preserve for hours, without a phone and eventually climbed all the way up here at 9:30 at night. Catch and Release performed. |
| APD Eurocopter | Ravine over Barton Creek | All the time. | N1240W and others. Flying over the wilderness preserve seems to be the preferred route to get out to Oak Hill and other such places; I see these guys (hear them first!) all the time. |
