Painted Bunting

Female 

Male

Passerina ciris, Sherburne WMA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Summer 2010

Texas Indigo Snake in a Hole

Drymarchon corais erebennus, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Hidalgo County, 10/23/2010

Rock Wren

Salpinctes obsoletus, Along HWY 90 near Seminole Canyon State Park, Val Verde County, 10/22/2010

Mediterranean Gecko

Hemidacttylus turcicus, East Baton Rouge Parish, Baton Rouge, LA, September 28, 2010

        The Mediterranean Gecko is an introduced species to Louisiana.  These little lizards were originally native to Europe but have since become common throughout North America.
The cool thing about these lizards is the fact that their skin is almost translucent in certain areas

Grasslands around the Davis Mountains

Common Gray Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Elephant Mountain WMA, Brewster County, 1-21-11

This medium sized fox is a common inhabitant of Texas.  This particular individual was found in a small draw consisting of mixed hardwoods around Elephant Mountain in west Texas.

Texas Pronghorn Capture and Release

    200 pronghorn from the Texas Panhandle were captured and released throughout the Trans Pecos.  Trans Pecos pronghorn have seen an alarming decline in recent years while pronghorn throughout the panhandle have produced a surplus.  This translocation will aid TPWD biologists in determining the cause of recent declines.

   A helicopter company would use net guns to net individual pronghorn and bring them back to a staging area.  Once to the staging area personnel carried the pronghorn to several veterinarians and biologists.  80 animals were fitted with VHF and satellite radio collars.  

   A total of ~50-70 pronghorn were captured per day and then translocated to the Marfa Plateau in the Trans Pecos.

Southwestern Texas Black Bear Capture

          This ~240 lb male black bear (Ursus americanus) was captured at Black Gap WMA using a barrel trap and a mule deer carcass.  This male was equipped with a satellite collar that will record his daily movements for the next two years.  

          The Texas-Mexico border is an interesting place for black bears as you have the Chisos mountain range and Rio grande river valley.  Recent wildfires and an unprecedented drought in southwest Texas have caused  these black bears to move to places that otherwise they would not.  

Hind Track

Front Track