Texas Nature Trackers - Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept Program

10/13/2026

Edit: I (Wendy) got too excited about an observation of a Whooping Crane. Since the location is obscured, I did not see that it was documented at the San Antonio zoo where they rehabilitate injured Whoopers. This shows the importance of marking your observations as "captive" on iNaturalist!

Whooping Cranes are on the move!! They are on their migration south, and it is especially important to document where they stop along their migration route on the way to their wintering grounds. This photo observed by (CC-BY-NC) on iNaturalist was in Central Texas in a man made shallow pond! Add your observations to the iNaturalist project Texas Whooper Watch.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/407840117

10/09/2026

Happy early World Migratory Bird day! This day is celebrated twice a year, once in spring and once in fall. Tomorrow, October 10th, birders are encouraged to document avian species as they migrate to their overwintering sites.

Here are a few migratory birds documented recently in Texas. Get out there and see what species you can add this week!

Thanks to these talented observers who shared their photos with a Creative Commons license on iNaturalist. 

Tennessee Warbler, , CC BY
American Bittern, , CC BY-NC
Piping Plover, , CC BY
Common Yellowthroat, , CC BY-NC-ND
Hooded Warbler, , CCBY-NC

10/01/2026

09/11/2026

Happy Photo Friday! It's that time of year where our Texas bats are out in force. Summer bat pups are now flying and they need to eat! September is a great time to observe bats at one of the many Mexican Free-tailed bat maternity colonies we are lucky enough to have here in Texas.

Explore bat-watching sites in Texas, and learn about bat-watching etiquette here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/bats/bat-watching-sites/

Photos are recent iNaturalist observations of bats in Texas. Thank you to these observers for your amazing photos!

Mexican Free-tail bats in flight, , (CC-BY-NC)
Eastern Red Bat in a tree, , (CC-BY-NC)
California Myotis, , (CC-BY-NC)
Mexican Free-tail bats emerging from Bracken cave, , (CC-BY-NC)
Rafinesque's Big-eared bats,

Note: Bats may be cute but please remember, like all wild mammals, bats can carry rabies. You should never handle a bat unless you are trained, have the appropriate permits and have pre-exposure rabies vaccinations. If you find a sick or injured bat, call your local wildlife rescue and they will provide instruction and/or connect you to a certified bat rehabber. If you touch a bat with bare hands, or receive a bite or scratch, please seek immediate medical advice from your doctor or local emergency room.

09/04/2026

Have fun and be safe shell-ebrating this Labor Day weekend!!!

📷Photo of Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys versa), by iNaturalist user pufferchung (CC-BY) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/394580267 This is a species of greatest conservation need endemic to Colorado River drainage in Texas.

08/28/2026

Happy Photo Friday!
What is out and about in late summer in Texas? There is plenty of biodiversity to document, if you can brave the heat!

Enjoy these recent standout iNaturalist observations. Stay cool out there, drink your water and be like our crepuscular wildlife, take advantage of the morning and evening hours to explore.

Photo Credits and Species ID:
Common Raccoon: (CC-BY-NC)
Green Treefrog: f3mmedev1l (CC-BY-NC)
Bicolored Plushback (a fly): (CC-BY-NC)
Chuck-Will's-Widow: (CC-BY-NC)
Pearl Milkweed: , (CC-BY-NC)
Yellow Garden Spider: (CC-BY-NC)

08/12/2026

Congratulations to all the 2026 City Nature Challenge participating cities and metro areas for another success year of citizen science contribution! More than 8,780 citizen scientists recorded 323,000 observations of 9,549 species (as of July 1, 2026) from El Paso to Houston, Amarillo and Wichita Falls to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Among those more than 9,500 species were 2,631 observations of 176 Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

Link to the results for each metropolitan area as well as a link to each project on iNaturalist.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/texas_nature_trackers/naturechallenge/

07/31/2026

Happy Photo Friday!
Today, I would like to focus on a group of mammals that really needs some love. Mustelids are a type of mammal which includes weasels, ferrets, minks, otters and badgers. Although the only Mustelid in Texas that is listed as threatened, endangered or a species of greatest conservation need, is the presumed extirpated Black-footed Ferret, the Mustelids we do have faced several challenges.

1. Road mortality: Roadkill is a major cause of death for most wildlife, especially as they traverse larger areas, looking for suitable habitat and prey.
2. Previously unregulated fur trade, when populations suffered major losses.
3. Loss of habitat: Grassland and wetland habitats especially, have decreased in size and quality. Aquatic species like Otters may also suffer from polluted waters.
4. Loss of prey species: Loss of prey such as prairie dogs and other rodents, fish, crustaceans and more.

Our Mustelids in Texas include the North American River Otter, the Long-tailed Weasel, the American Badger, and the American Mink. These species can be hard to track, and we are always interested in their documentation.

They are so charismatic and adorable, as well as being important predators in their habitats. Explore on iNaturalist to see what mustelids may be found near you! (Warning: many of these posts will be roadkill photos.)
ID and photo credits in captions. Thank you, iNaturalist observers, for your excellent work documenting these elusive creatures.

07/24/2026

Happy Moth Week! Enjoy the fleeting beauty of some of our native Texas moths. Some of the most recognizable and large moths, in the Saturniidae family, do not have mouth or digestive parts as adults and live short lives in this lovely form.
Enjoy them while they last. I’ve included several silk moths, as well as some other interesting specimens.

How to help moths? Plant native trees!

Want to see more moths? Come to a moth party or Blacklighting event, or even better, host your own!

All you need is a sheet and a black light to get started. Here at TNT, we are somewhat obsessed with moths. 😍

Many thanks to the iNaturalist observers in Texas who snapped these pictures. Keep up the good work!

Moth ID and photo credits in captions.