A Good Week for Wildlife

Donna and I have been fortunate this week to see quite a bit of wildlife in San Angelo.

Early in the week, we drove out to Spring Creek Park on Lake Nasworthy. We drive out there often when we eat out. It's become pretty much a routine for us. After crossing the bridge, we pulled into the Mary E. Lee Park area next to the San Angelo Nature Center. A prairie dog colony has grown up in the area, and we like to drive by and watch those playful little critters. However, the growth of the colony has been such that the city is now looking at ways to reduce the number. (See related story). They have been removing some, but there are quite a few of those chubby little guys still out there.

From there, we drove around the edge of the lake on Fisherman's Road to Spring Creek Park. As we approached the entrance to the park, we passed a few turkeys working their way along the edge of the mesquites. Then, just inside the park entrance, we came across a dozen or more deer lying around in the shade.

Click to enlarge. There are deer scattered across the width of this picture.

Here's a close-up of a small group taking it easy in the soft grass and the shade of some pecan trees and mesquites.

Donna rose early one morning and looked out the window overlooking our patio, which is her usual routine. She never knows what she will see. On this particular morning, she saw something that looked like a fox. I was not in the room at the time, so I was unable to see what was lurking in our yard.

The daytime highs have been somewhat mild lately, so on Thursday afternoon, we decided to drive out to San Angelo State Park and take a walk out there. It was so pleasant as we walked along the traffic-free roadways, hearing nothing but the chirps of birds and the wind in the trees. We were fortunate to see the bison near our route. I never tire of seeing those massive creatures. They are such a natural part of this landscape and speak volumes of the history of this area.

Later that evening, Donna and I made our way to our rocking chairs on our back patio as darkness began to envelope our neighborhood. It wasn't long until we saw a buck and two doe emerge from the brush to our south. The trio moved along the opposite side of the street from us, then worked their way along a yard and soon disappeared into the draw between our house and the clubhouse.

This morning, I started my walk just before 6:00 AM, which means it is dark. It starts getting light about 6:30 or later these days. As I was nearing the entrance to Rio Concho West, I saw something along the curb ahead. It was too far away for the beam of my flashlight, so I continued my approach. As I got closer, it began to resemble a cat sitting upright. We do have some feral cats in the area, so I assumed it was one of them. As I drew nearer, it then rose and began to move away. I then saw that unmistakable bushy tail and realized I was looking at Donna's fox. It stopped for a moment to turn and look at me, and I could see the outline of its head then. No doubt about it -- that was a fox.

Yep, it's been a good week for wildlife viewing for us. We do enjoy watching animals of any sort. That is probably one of the things we miss most about no longer having our RV. We have spent a lot of time over the years in rural parks in close proximity to numerous critters, and we have enjoyed all those moments.