Back in 2017, when I was first elected to the WHCA board, it was difficult to get contributions for the newsletter. So, I took it upon myself to create things. One of the things I started was the “Creature Feature.” It combined stories about animals in the neighborhood with a play on the cheesy TV series that ran old scary movies.
May has certainly been a month for creatures hereabouts. Our dog Julio is pretty recognizable. He and I get out to the various parks and pathways where we see all manner of things.
Walking around Woodland Park one day we encountered some kids having soccer practice. One of the kids kicked a ball high into a tree where it got stuck. We were able to use Julio’s long leash to help them shake the branch, recovering the ball.
Veering off into the wooded trails we saw a Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron guarding a nest. The official bird of Houston, they are often found nesting in the oaks along Bayland Avenue.
A few days later, Julio pulled me over to the corner of Bayland and Florence. He was drawn there by a new chicken coop that a neighbor had installed along their fence line. He found the young chickens extremely interesting.
Just this week we encountered a red-eared slider turtle attempting to cross White Oak Drive. This one was a good ten inches across. Since turtles and traffic don’t mix, we relocated the beasty to a leafy spot well off the road. Once recovered from the shock of being handled, he made his into the underbrush.
There are around 2000 homes in Woodland Heights, with lots of people and pets. But we also share the neighborhood with a great many wild things.Take a moment to look around you when you're out on a walk ... and if you spot interesting wildlife send us a photo or two. We'd love to feature them in this newsletter.