Quote:
Originally Posted by AviationGuy
I'm used to the variety and amount of Austin's wildlife that mingles with its residents, but I had never seen a heron until a couple of days ago. It was enormous. I've read that they can have a wingspan of 80 inches. I estimated a five or six foot wingspan for this one. It lit at the top of a tall tree across the street. I didn't even know what it was until I went inside and did some research.
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Herons are one large bird I see regularly when I am back home in Austin, less so in San Antonio but still present there as well. Chihuahuas, specifically, have a feral breeding population in San Antonio. They are everywhere. Alligators are native just downriver from both and a transient presence occasionally. Further south in a small town called Three Rivers at Choke Canyon there are South Texas's largest alligators and alligator gar.
The Austin area has the one of the world’s largest number of endemic non-tropical songbird species, which are protected in the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. If you like bird watching, Austin is a wonderful place to visit.