Texas Backyard Wildlife

17Sept26 - This snapshot is definitely not from our backyard. It's from the Galapagos Islands - Dan and I were lucky enough to be able to travel there in early September. We found this enormous dragonfly in the hotel restaurant, desperately bashing itself against a window, trying to get out. I managed to scoop it up, using both hands because it was so big, and we took it outside. The poor thing was tired and lingered on my fingertips for a couple of minutes before zooming away. Such a beautiful creature.

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Texas Backyard Wildlife

14Sept26 - Trade the dogs out for raccoons, and you have our backyard. "Now, ma'am, which of these fellows looks like the guy who acosted you?" "I can't be sure, officer, but there's something about #2 that looks suspiciously familiar."

1 week ago | [YT] | 398

Texas Backyard Wildlife

07Sept26 - Cute raccoon photo for the day. A mama and little one snuggled up in the hollow log.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,858

Texas Backyard Wildlife

25Aug26 - The baby raccoons living under the shed are becoming more photogenic by the minute. A couple of days ago they decided that a cinderblock in their under-shed hideaway was the most comfortable bed in the house and they took turns napping on it.

Remember to double-click on the previews to see the entire picture; with these little guys, it's worth taking the trouble.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 2,248

Texas Backyard Wildlife

19Aug26 - There is a mama raccoon with her 4 small kits under the shed. When they arrived, the kits were just opening their eyes; now, they're mobile and funny, and we've managed to get some great snapshots of them. The mama has an injured leg/foot - she can't put it down - but she is coming over to the house so we are able to keep her fed. A few days ago, we published a video of one of the kits dramatically falling asleep. Very sweet: https://youtu.be/rkUvDy8lGVM

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1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,893

Texas Backyard Wildlife

14Aug26 - 10 pictures showing screech owls being quirky. A snapshot can capture a moment in time that might slide by unnoticed in a video clip. Here are some of our recent favorites.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 1,498

Texas Backyard Wildlife

12Aug26 - Back in January some raccoons took to snoozing under the shed during the day. At one stage, I counted 8 of them, all piled up and snuggling. We took some snapshots from our live camera, and I've been meaning to post them. Here are some favorites. I especially like #4, which shows a sleeping raccoon with clasped hands. (They truly do have hands and fingers.)

The snapshots are all landscape views, so remember to double-click to expand each one and see the whole picture.

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1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,592

Texas Backyard Wildlife

03Aug26 - We talk a lot about the tree stump den. It's a natural hollow under the stump of a massive live oak that died about 20 years ago.

When Dan chainsawed the tree down, he deliberately cut the stump into a chair shape and then posed for the camera sitting proudly on it. He was probably the last human to do so. Now it belongs to our gray fox friends.

Fox families use the den almost every spring - it's a safe place to bring up kits. The parent foxes love to sit on the stump when they're keeping an eye on things. It's apparently comfortable and it's got a great view.

Anyway, here's that photo of Dan sitting on his live oak stump. And I'm reposting a photo from a couple of weeks ago showing two smiling foxes - it's their stump now.

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Texas Backyard Wildlife

31Jul26 - This tiny gecko had become entangled in a cobweb just outside our back door. I was cleaning and wiped him up thinking he was an old cocoon of some sort - he was wrapped up like a mummy. To my astonishment, he twitched in my hand and I took a closer look. I don't know how long he'd been trapped, but it was long enough to have killed his tail - it was a dried-up blackened nub.

I managed to remove the worst of the spider web, but then I brought him in to Dan. I have shaky hands, and completely freeing this little fellow was a very delicate business.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of what he looked like before we began cleaning him up, but here are a few shots of the end of the process.

I released him outside and he ran off and disappeared under a shady stone.

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Texas Backyard Wildlife

28Jul26 - Two cardinal chicks. There's still one more egg to hatch. The papa cardinal is busy bringing food for the family and the chicks are looking good.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,340