Wildlife


Native Plants, insects and birds go together!

There’s a considerable number of wild animals around the trails. For the most part, unless you really go looking for them, you won’t see any on the main parts of the trail. However, day and night, we’ve seen some of the following animals.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Turtles: You may see some Red-Eared Sliders within the pond areas. You’re most likely to see these guys either bathing in the sun during the hot day, or swimming around the edges of the pond during the early evening.

Snakes: During the daytime, these guys will occasionally find a place to bathe in the sun. If you come out around 9pm at night in the summer time, you might be lucky enough to catch one foraging along the edges of the water for food.

American Bullfrogs: Late at night, you might hear a long, deep croaking. These are bullfrogs! You’d be lucky to get a good look at one; these guys are the size of your hand but they like to stay hidden, and they do a good job of it.

Cricket Frogs: The regular ribbiting you’ll hear at night comes from the hundreds (if not thousands) of much smaller frogs that love wading in the mud and shallow water.

Toads: You’re just as likely to see these at the trails as you are in your own back yard. These guys love chomping down on june bugs and other small insects or worms.

Mammals

For the most part, you’ll only see mammalian life at night or the early evening. Here’s a couple of the animals.

Raccoons: The most common of the wild animal, Raccoons are most easily seen at night, usually travelling in groups of 3-6.

Opossums: There’s at least a few opossums traveling alone on the trails. You’re probably better off keeping your distance from them. They are easily frightened but they can be aggressive and harmful if they think they’re backed into a corner.

Skunks: So, I know I suggested keeping your distance from the opossums, but I’d suggest it even more with a skunk. I think you can imagine why. These guys are actually pretty common, and you’re pretty likely to pass at least one if you’re walking around the trails at night.

Cats: Remember that cat you shoo’d away for pooping on your porch? Yeah, he’s at your neighbor’s house now. There’s tons of these guys running around everywhere. If you want to help us with our safe neutering program, check out the Cat Roundup page.

Rabbits: Adorable and friendly, the Cottontail Rabbits seem content with calling the Copperfield nature trails their home. They’re very quiet and seem to ignore people, so you might not even realize that one is standing three feet away from you while you’re standing around looking for other animals.

Armadillos: If you actually see one of these guys running around, consider yourself lucky! We know these guys are here but they’re extremely hard to find unless you know where to look. And I don’t know where to look.

Bobcats and Coyotes: Please be aware that there are bobcat and coyote sightings at least once a month! If you spot one, and they spot you, look big, make eye contact, and slowly back away.

Feral Hogs: not seen. A good thing. Sightings reported in nearby neighborhoods.

Deer: rare siting on some parts of trail, more common to see occasional tracks in the mud.

Insects, Birds, and Fish

Honestly, there’s so many different kinds of bugs and birds that it’s really hard to list them all. We’ve got stick bugs, centipedes, click beetles, june bugs, cardinals, ducks, blue jays, grackles, and much more. You’ll probably see something new each time you visit! 

Want to learn more about some wildlife friendly Native Plants in our area?

Visit and explore plants by zipcode:

https://www.audubon.org/plantsforbirds

https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder

Learn about Wildflower Meadows in parks and greenbelts in Austin: https://www.austintexas.gov/page/wildflower-meadow

5 responses to “Wildlife”

  1. Hey Alex,
    I’m a little hesitant to ask b/c I expect sad news….but, any news on the baby possum you picked up from our house on Trotwood a while back when the missus’s Mom was in town? -Deana
    also, do you want some critter pictures for the website?

  2. Add Bobcats to the list. We saw a very large one crossing the road at the Shropshire entrances. We also found fresh scat and paw prints along the trail.

  3. Here’s a second vote for bobcats. I’ve found their scat several times, the first one about 10 years ago. And after the workday January 17, a couple of hawks—probably red-tailed hawks—were circling high in the sky and calling back and forth to each other. I have seen and heard great horned owls many times at the northwest end of our neighborhood and in Walnut Creek Park. We used to have a nesting pair. Walnut Creek Park still does. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a nesting pair somewhere along the Copperfield Trails, too. At dusk in the summer, even by the streetlights along your street, you’re likely to see Mexican freetail bats swooping down nearly as low as head-high to nab mosquitoes, moths, or those big, fat, juicy June beetles. They’re easy to mistake for birds, but you can tell they’re bats because their wings flutter much faster.

  4. And, Heather, I’m jealous—a couple of times I’ve seen a shadowy shape melt back into the brush and later realized it might have been a bobcat, but I have never seen one clearly.

  5. I’ve lived in the neighborhood since the end of 2006. The creek runs behind our house. I have seen the hawks in the back of our house in the trees on the sides of the creek. Our neighborhood is good for bird watching too. Their very colorful. I saw what I thought was a bobcat running across the street one night when we were coming from the Walgreens. I also saw a dear when we passed through the new homes on Yager. We’ve heard the owls in the back as well. There was a small snake in our backyard on the 4th of July. The armadillos do exist. Late at night several years ago I saw one. It was strolling through the parking lot up by the shopping center on Canyon Ridge. I’ve only seen the rabbits during the winter in our backyard. Don’t forget the squirrels. They completely destroyed my mothers peach tree but we still enjoy them. What happened to the yellow cat who used to sleep on our deck? I don’t see it anymore. I see the grey cat alot.

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