Observations by pattyp53

This guy is at least 10% bigger than any cicada I've ever seen in Texas. Since they prefer to hang on the side of fence posts or poles, they are easier to spot that some other species. This one is deceased and missing his abdomen and face. My hub did bring in a whole live one recently - for the cat to chase.

I think this is an immature gull, most likely California or Herring gull. Beak is bicolor, so is not laughing gull. Sorry for bad photos! It was the best camera I had at the time. Second photo with Laughing Gull, last with snowy egret.

a lone Ring-Billed Gull hanging out with a flock of Laughing Gulls. He seemd to be able to chase the other gulls away from anything he was interested in. A fisherman had filted some fish and left the rst for the gulls at the water's edge.

I found pictures of the same plant online described as "wild lime, or cat's claw" along with the latin name, Zanthoxylum fagara. It does have a thorn under the stems that looks exactly like the claw on a cat. Look closely - the claws are readily visible.

There is a reason the restaurant is named "Pelican Sation" where I took these photos. There are always pelicans behind it every time I go there. So many, in fact there is a "pelican warning" on the causeway next to the area. They fly over the bridge and not always high enough to avoid the cars.

Photo taken from blind provided by refuge behind visitor's center. The handicapped/disabled can walk or roll to the blind and down the concrete sidewalks around the center. Multiple photos taken on different years within 100 feet of each other.

This alligator was wild, and free to come & go. It made a threatening display, and we kept our distance. It was fairly near the convention center. I have have edited the observation to show the reedy area where I spotted it, with the convention center in the background. I was on the south side of the narrow strip of water. The alligator is not actually in the second photo, but the picture is included as a reference point. If you zoom in on the map and use the satellite mode, you can easily see where the sighting took place.

The Visitor's Center at Laguna Acosta National Wildlife Refuge puts out bird seed in raised feeders - but only two right at the center. The birds knock a lot on the ground and the wild collard peccaries (javelinas) come in to eat. They are isolated somewhat from visitors by putting people on slightly raised walks, but these are wild animals with attitude. This is right at the front entrance area to the center. There is also a large blind with seats and photo "ports" a short walk behind the center as well where the javelinas visit as the birds eat. There are 3 or 4 concrete walking trails of various somewhat short lengths around the center. I found a fallen log with a large wild behive along one of them, just 30 feet from the center and alerted the staff. The whole area is chock full of wildlife, but you must look closely and be observant to see all of it. Snakes, lizards, butterflies, lots of bird species. The driving loop of 15 miles always rewrds with wildlife sightings. We have seen osprey, coyotes, deer, multiple bird species, a threatened tortoise, more.

This guy just seemed to want to get out of our way, but seemed reluctant to dive into the brush and didn't seem to find our presence a huge threat. He didn't want us to get close, so trotted down the road slowly as we drove slowly. We were surprised to see him within 1/4 mile of the visitor's center. There was an abundance of wildlife including birds, javelinas and more small wildlife all around the visitor's center.

This guy landed on the aluminum frames of the windows all around the house every day to pick small bugs out of the crevices that had landed during the night while we had the lights on. My (indoor only) cat always went crazy as the bird's little talons made scratching noises here and there. I was quite lucky to get a shot through the patio door as this fast little bird was quite shy.

This guy was sitting in very plain view on a dead stump right next to the walkway from the parking lot to the park office. Many people walked right past, not even seeing it. I had to hold my finger about 2 ft. to 18" away pointing to it before most people could see what I was looking at.