Motoring Across America

With James "Alex" Alexander

with James "Alex" Alexander



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Blog 303: Ocelot Mascot and Nilgai Rumble

We continue to enjoy the beautiful weather, greening landscape, and our interesting “jobs” here at the refuge.

Jan’s Painting
When not leading tours or working in the Visitor Center, Jan put her artistic talents to work. Here are two of her efforts in dressing up the refuge.

Jan's Donation Box

Jan's Mobile Mural

Ocelot Soirée
We attended as guests the annual Laguna Atascosa fundraiser held at the new Sea Turtle Center on South Padre Island. Beautiful location, well-organized event, with lots of money raised. Very happy to contribute to this meaningful event.

Ocelot Conservation Day
Most all of the Laguna Madre staff, interns, and volunteers worked to put on this one-day event at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. Sihil, the 17-year-old female ocelot visiting from the Cincinnati Zoo was the main attraction.

The day started with a 5K Ocelot Race, and then visitors could learn lots and lots about ocelots at the numerous exhibits and information tables. The emphasis of the event was on getting little tykes excited about nature, so there was ocelot face painting, and ocelot mask-making, and four shows a day put on by Sihil and her trainers. Jan was one of the two face painters, working non-stop all day, doing over 100 faces. Jan’s mobile mural (pictured above) was a big hit with the little tykes. I had the fun job of being the roving photographer.

Ocelot

Ocelot II

Ocelot Mascots

Face Painting

Face Painting Results

Cats
Here are three cats from our refuge RV neighbors.

Cathouse Cat

Talbott Cat

Smudge

Nilgai Rumble
It is mating season, and we have been seeing a lot of the exotic Nilgai, the antelope from India. Quite impressive creatures that are a pleasure to view as they lope across the Texas Serengeti. I’d read about how males face-off when in a courtship mood—they stand crazy close staring at each other, and then drop down to their knees and bang away. One day on a tram tour I was lucky enough to view it. The first pic shows these two tough guys ready to rumble and the second pic shows them going at it. Note the “coach” watching the action. Just amazing.

Nilgai Ready to Rumble

Nilgai Bump Coach II

Nilgai

Tarantula

arnatula

More Birds
Here is a hodgepodge of bird pics.

Altamira Oriole

Cedar Waxwing

Clyde and Carma Cara Cara

Golden-Fronted Woodpecker

Great Horned Owl

Green Heron

Harris's Hawk

Kingfisher

Loggerhead Shrike

Orange-Crowned Warbler

Reddish Egret White Morph

Reddish Egret

Tough Guy Great-Tailed Grackle

Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks from the Old Truck Reserve.

Old Truck 1

Old Truck 2

Old Truck 3

See you next time.