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| "Buck", the tame hand-raised White-tailed Deer that hung out at the butterfly garden in Grant Parish |
**related blog entries:
http://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2018/01/bird-year-list-2017.html
Here's a look back at some of the non-avian wildlife I observed during 2017. This post lumps together Mammals and Herps (Amphibians and Reptiles), as both are represented by a pretty short list. Butterflies will have their own blog entry, and hopefully I get around to putting together a "part two" to my "2017 moths, part one" blog entry which was posted back in May.
Going back through all my bird lists for 2017 to search for what mammals and herps I'd jotted down in the margins seemed a bit daunting, but I'm pretty sure I can recall which species I encountered in 2017 because they were so few compared to birds, or Lepidoptera for that matter.
Thinking back on what I saw, I was surprised to realize that, unless I'm just really forgetting some stuff, I didn't encounter a living Nine-banded Armadillo, American Beaver, fox of either species, or a Coyote. I suppose you see enough signs of these creatures' activity -- and see enough of them as roadkill! -- that you're startled to realize just how long it's been since you actually saw a live one! I also don't recall hearing a Southern Flying Squirrel, which, once upon a time, would have been an almost nightly occurrence. Apparently, the population of Woodland Voles around my yard are long-gone as well -- no sign of them in the past couple of years, not since construction and habitat alterations occurred on neighboring properties. I may have seen Hispid Cotton Rat once or twice this year, but not being sure, I've left that off the list as well.
It was a pretty weak year for reptile sightings for me as well. I'd at least expect a few more snake species (probably Speckled and Yellow-bellied Kingsnakes, Western Mud Snake, Plain-bellied and Southern/Banded Watersnakes, for example).
Here's to a more fruitful year of observing wildlife in 2018!
Mammals:
Virginia Opossom -
Short-tailed Shrew -
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| Short-tailed Shrew, killed by cat -- La Salle Parish |
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| Short-tailed Shrew, killed by cat -- La Salle Parish |
Eastern Mole - OK, so actually just active tunneling and not actually me laying my eyes on one of the animals.
bat sp. -
Eastern Cottontail -
Swamp Rabbit -
Eastern Gray Squirrel -
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| Eastern Gray Squirrel -- Orleans Parish |
Eastern Fox Squirrel -
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| Eastern Fox Squirrel -- La Salle - Catahoula Parish line |
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| an Eastern Fox Squirrel with unusually fair pelage -- La Salle Parish (see also: video below, of this individual side-by-side with typical "red" individual) |
House Mouse -
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| House Mouse, killed by cat -- La Salle Parish |
Nutria -
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| Nutria -- Rapides Parish |
North American River Otter -
Northern Raccoon -
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| Northern Raccoon -- La Salle Parish |
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| Northern Raccoon -- La Salle Parish |
Bobcat -
White-tailed Deer -
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| White-tailed Deer doe -- La Salle Parish |
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| White-tailed Deer -- La Salle Parish |
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| White-tailed Deer fawn -- Grant Parish |
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| White-tailed Deer -- La Salle Parish |
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| White-tailed Deer mom and fawns -- La Salle Parish |
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| the twins, browsing ... White-tailed Deer fawns -- La Salle Parish |
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| twin #1 |
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| twin #2 |
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| White-tailed Deer buck bolting away from me (You don't get to be that big by sticking around when people are about!) -- Catahoula Parish |
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| two White-tailed Deer -- Grant Parish |
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| two White-tailed Deer -- La Salle Parish |
(video below: White-tailed Deer grazing -- La Salle Parish)
(video: White-tailed Deer -- La Salle Parish)
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| "Buck", the tame White-tailed Deer/local celebrity : ) -- Grant Parish |
Amphibians:
Fowler's Toad -
Blanchard's Cricket Frog -
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| Blanchard's Cricket Frog -- La Salle Parish |
(video: call of Blanchard's Cricket Frog -- La Salle Parish)
Cope's Gray Treefrog -
Green Treefrog -
Squirrel Treefrog -
Spring Peeper -
(video below: calls of Spring Peepers (and, once or twice, a Southern Leopard Frog) -- La Salle Parish)
Cajun Chorus Frog -
(video below: calls of Cajun Chorus Frogs -- Indian Creek Road x Hugh Road, La Salle Parish)
American Bullfrog -
Green Frog (Bronze) -
Southern Leopard Frog -
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| Southern Leopard Frog -- La Salle Parish |
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| Southern Leopard Frog -- La Salle Parish |
Reptiles:
American Alligator -
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| American Alligators -- La Salle Parish |
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| American Alligator -- La Salle Parish (the larger of the two in above photo) |
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| American Alligator -- La Salle Parish (the smaller of the two in first photo) |
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| baby American Alligator -- Catahoula Parish |
Green Anole -
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| Green Anole -- La Salle Parish |
Mediterranean Gecko -
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| Mediterranean Gecko -- La Salle Parish |
Common Five-lined Skink -
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| Common Five-lined Skink -- La Salle Parish |
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| Common Five-lined Skink -- La Salle Parish |
Broad-headed Skink -
Little Brown Skink -
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| Little Brown Skink -- La Salle Parish |
North American Racer -
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| North American Racer -- La Salle Parish |
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| North American Racer -- La Salle Parish |
Diamond-backed Watersnake
Western Ribbonsnake -
Eastern Cottonmouth -
Meet "Mr. Smooches"...
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| Cottonmouth -- Catahoula Parish |
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| Cottonmouth -- Catahoula Parish |
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| Cottonmouth -- Catahoula Parish |
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| Cottonmouth -- Catahoula Parish |
This younger, reddish individual was seen on the same unusually warm, spring-like February day as the individual in the photos above...
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| Cottonmouth -- Catahoula Parish |
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| Cottonmouth -- Catahoula Parish |
River Cooter -
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| River Cooter -- La Salle Parish |
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| River Cooter -- La Salle Parish |
Eastern Box Turtle -
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| shell of dead Eastern Box Turtle -- Grant Parish ...The only live one I saw this year was in the Chalk Hills in Catahoula Parish. |
Pond Slider -
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| Pond Slider -- Catahoula Parish |
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| Pond Slider -- La Salle Parish |
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| Pond Slider -- La Salle Parish |
Smooth Softshell -
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| I've seen what I assume is this same Smooth Softshell at this location on different occasions. -- Catahoula Parish (video below from same observation) |
************************************************
The post covering 2017 butterflies will probably be next.
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