Observations by ajean

It had been cloudy and was starting to rain. The temperature was about 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
I observed the catfish in Wilbarger Creek near Bastrop, but I believe it was caught by Susan.
The catfish had a flat head and smooth skin. It had a pair of dark purple whiskers as well as a pair of white whiskers around its mouth. Its body was dark purple-mottled brown in color with tints of golden yellow. Its belly was a pearl-like white, and its tail had the slightest hint of a notch.
Its habitat was in a freshwater creek surrounded by trees and lush green vegetation. The creek's surroundings were very muddy due to the rain, and the area above the creek was mostly covered with grass and small pebbles on bare ground.
The catfish was most likely solitary and not interacting with any other organisms although it is not known for certain.

The weather was overcast with some light rain. The temperature was about 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
The toad was caught when we were trying to find a green tree frog in the reeds.
I observed that the toad had black specks in its golden-orange colored eyes. It had a distinctive white stripe along its back as well as along its lateral sides. It also had black lateral stripes running from its eyes to its legs. Its back was mostly dark brown with black spots that continued on to its back legs. It had a white belly with a light pebble stone pattern. Its throat was moving up and down, and the toad was missing a back leg.
Since it was near a body of water, its habitat was very muddy and filled with reeds (swamp-like). The surroundings included grasses and other green vegetation.
The solitary toad was found hiding near the reeds, and it did not seem to be interacting with any other organisms.

The skies were clear, but it had rained earlier in the morning and afternoon. The temperature was around 71 degrees Fahrenheit.
I observed the squirrel while I was sitting on the brown, brick steps of the Patterson Building.
The squirrel was mostly mottled gray and black in color although its bushy tail had more of a light brown (cinnamon color) mixed in at the roots of its fur. It had small, light brown ears.
Its habitat was mainly grass and clusters of oak trees surrounded by buildings and walkways.
The solitary squirrel seemed to have adapted to the urban environment as it showed no hesitation in approaching me directly because I was eating Cheerios. It was not interacting with any other organisms except for me because after it continued to search for food near my backpack, I consented in feeding it a few Cheerios. It ate those Cheerios before scampering off (down the steps) to the east.

The weather was overcast, and the temperature was 62 degrees Fahrenheit.
I observed 2 columns of a wavy, black U shaped pattern on the lizard's back that extended to its tail. It had mix of dark gray, light gray, and light brown stripes running down its back. It had a white underbelly and a black horizontal line running across its green eyes.
Its habitat was mainly composed of grassy vegetation, leaf litter, and mud. It was surrounded by mixed trees, including loblolly pines and eastern red cedar.
The solitary lizard was climbing a tree before it was caught. It did not seem to be interacting with any other species.

The weather was fairly chilly with a temperature around 67 degrees Fahrenheit. The sky was overcast.
I observed that the dove had a distinctive red eye rimmed with blue. The dove was predominantly light to dark brown in color. It had a black horizontal crescent mark underneath its eye (near its neck). It had a sharp, black beak and reddish feet. The outer edges of its wings were white, while the tips of its wings were a darker brown. The rounded tips of its tail were white.
As it was found dead, its habitat was assumed to be near Lady Bird Lake where there were a lot of residential areas with walkways and roads that were lined with grass and clusters of trees.
The dove was found by itself, dead on the ground. Other organisms did not seem to be nearby or interacting with it.

The temperature was around 81 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sky was mostly cloudy.
I observed the pigeons in the gravel area east of the Battle Hall Building.
The pigeons had a mostly light gray body with two black horizontal bands across their wings. Their faces and necks were a mixture of dark gray, purple, and green. They had white feathers on their rump and a band of black feathers at the ends of their tails. They also had orange feet.
Their habitat included small gravel pebbles, leaf litter, and some oak trees (as well as its pollen). They were surrounded by walkways where people passed by as well as metal risers in which people could sit on.
The two pigeons did not seem to be directly interacting with each other, but they seemed to be both searching for food as they often pecked at the gravel.

The weather was more sunny, and sky was blue with cumulus clouds, but the winds remained strong. The temperature was around 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
One cardinal (male) was all red except for a black patch near its eyes, beak, and neck. The other cardinal (likely female) was brown with tints of red, orange, and yellow on its wings and body. Its tail was darker (blacker in color) than the rest of its wings and body.
Its habitat was mainly tall, bare trees that were clustered close to each other in a way that their branches seemed to form a woven net. Next to the trees was a pebbled road for car and human traffic, which was next to a pond surrounded by bare trees and grasses.
The two cardinals were perched on a bare tree. There were no other bird species in the same tree, but there were other bird species nearby, including the yellow-rumped warbler.

It was very windy, and the sky was mostly cloudy. The temperature was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
The American coot was mainly black except for a small white patch under its tail. It also had a white bill.
Its habitat was in a pond next to a rocky trail where people would walk on and cars would drive by. Bare trees and muddy areas rimmed the pond, and the pond was surrounded by grasses and low, green shrubs. There was a musty smell in the air as we were next to a wastewater disposal treatment plant.
The American coot was floating in the water and was rocking back and forth with the waves due to the strong wind. It was surrounded by ducks of other species that were also floating in the water.

The weather was sunny and warm. The temperature was around 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
The opossum's body was covered in dark gray fur, and its ears were dark gray as well. Its face had a white heart shape, and its eyes were black with light gray shading surrounding them. Its nose was a light pink color at the tip of its pointed snout, and it seemed to have white whiskers protruding from the sides of its face.
Its habitat was a row of landscaped, low green bushes that was surrounded by small pebbles of gravel and leaf litter. The surroundings also included rows of oak trees, walkways, and campus buildings.
I observed the solitary opossum running through a row of bushes next to the West Mall Rally Space. It seemed to have startled the students filming nearby, but the opossum did not seem disturbed by the students' presence as it continued to run past them.

The weather was sunny and hot with temperatures at about 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The sky was blue and filled with cumulus clouds.
I observed that the blue jay had a black beak and black markings closest to its eyes that faded into a stripe of white. Its neck had a black rim, and its wings were mainly blue with some alternating black and white horizontal stripe patterns. Its underbelly was white, and its tail was mainly blue but had some black stripe patterning as well.
Its habitat consisted mainly of grass with patches of oak trees. It was surrounded by buildings and walkways.
The solitary blue jay was perched on a tree next to the Biological Laboratories Building before it flew away.

The sky was blue with cumulus clouds, and the weather was sunny and hot. The temperature was around 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
The turtle had a distinctive soft shell that was rimmed with yellow, a white to yellow colored underbelly, and two separated, horizontal yellow stripes on the side of its head. Its shell was mostly an olive brown color with some black spots. Its dark, mossy green colored feet had many black spots.
Its habitat consisted of leaf litter on the pond surface, vegetation around the sides of the pond, and algae on the sides and bottom of the pond. Trees and white stone and gravel walkways surrounded the pond.
The turtle was swimming by itself, but it was surrounded by other types of turtles, such as the common snapping turtle, Texas river cooter, and red-eared slider, as well as fish.
The turtle seemed to be coming to the surface for air in the photograph as it had been swimming around in the water for a while.

The sun had set, and the temperature was around 64 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a humidity of around 67%.
I saw the frog at the bottom of the glass screen door outside the back door of the house.
I observed that the frog had a white underbelly and a bright green back. It had 4 webbed digits on its arms and 5 webbed digits on its feet. Its back leg digits were very long, but the frog tended to not stretch them out (kept them folded up under its stomach) unless it was moving. The frog had slightly black coloring on the tips of its toes. There was a yellow line rimming the top of the frog's mouth, and it seemed to extend across its cheek to its arm and possibly even to its leg. The frog had a flap of white skin (like a skin fold) dividing its head and arms from its torso. There were some black spots on its belly, but it may have been dirt. The bottom part of its jaw moved up and down continuously like it was vibrating.
Its habitat was a backyard filled with grass and fruit trees, such as fig, pear, and orange. It seemed to be well adapted to the suburban environment as it had been seen in this same location on the house previously.
The solitary frog was clinging to the screen door. It would move sometimes, but it mainly remained in one position.
I observed flies flying around near the frog, so the frog was most likely feeding on insects that were attracted to the light coming from the house.

The weather was mostly cloudy with only some patches of blue sky and white clouds. The wind was fairly strong at 3 miles per hour, so the mockingbird's feathers blew in the wind. The temperature was about 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity was 61%.
I saw the mockingbird behind the Biological Laboratories building and east of the turtle pond at The University of Texas at Austin.
I observed that the mockingbird had a thin, black, and sharp beak and black feet. The mockingbird had a light gray body, white belly, and white wing patches. It had circular black eyes surrounded by a lighter white rim of feathers. Its tail was a darker gray with white outer feathers.
Its habitat was mainly a patch of bushes with two circular bushes and one linear bush. This bush habitat was located near mainly grass and patches of trees. A sidewalk and road were just east of its habitat, but it did not seem to be disturbed by walking people or cars.
The mockingbird was perching as a solitary bird on a bush at first. It started singing, and when it sang, a patch of feathers in its neck moved in and out. It sang different songs at a variety of pitches as well as slow and fast. It did tend to repeat the same song a couple of times though. It then flew to a tree near the turtle pond, and another mockingbird took its place on the bush next to the bush the original mockingbird was perched on.

The weather was sunny and hot with clear blue skies. The temperature was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
I identified it as a turkey vulture because I observed that it had a red head as well as white feathers that stretched all the way to its tail on its underwings. The distinctive underwing coloration and head color led me to believe that it was not a black vulture.
The habitat surrounding the turkey vultures was mainly tall grass with scattered low shrubs, patches of wildflowers, including bluebonnets, and clusters of oak trees. Lake Travis was nearby with rock formations on either side, and across Lake Travis, many residential homes and apartments could be seen.
I saw 5 other turkey vultures flying overhead with this turkey vulture. I also observed the turkey vultures rocking from side to side in the sky with their wings forming a V shape when flying.