SAN ANTONIO – In Oakland Estates, there’s room to breathe. Not just for the residents but for the wildlife, too. That might explain why you’ll find so many animals roaming the neighborhood.
“Well, let’s see,” longtime Oakland Estates resident Lottie Milsaps said as she referenced her handwritten log of observed animals. “The white-tailed deer, the gray fox, of course, the raccoons, squirrels (and) rock squirrels. We used to have a few rock squirrels.”
And that’s just the beginning.
Milsaps is a keen observer of the four-legged visitors to her property. She also loves to sit in front of her reflection pond and listen for birds.
“Phoebe, now that’s another really interesting little bird, and that’s what it’s called .... you know, fee-bee fee-bee,” Milsaps said as she recreated the sound. ”It comes here for water. I have a couple of sticks that it perches on.”
Whether inside or out, the 94-year-old Milsaps has seen it all.
”My chair inside the house, I can sit there and have a passing parade of all the different creatures that come across,” Milsaps said. ”We do hear the coyotes in the evening.”
It’s fair to say that Oakland Estates even embraces creatures other neighborhoods may not.
”The skunks are another really cute little creature to watch,” Milsaps remarked.
The idea of Oakland Estates is to keep it as natural as possible.
Once outside of San Antonio’s limits, the area remains an oasis amongst a densely populated sector of town. The neighborhood has opted for a curb- and sidewalk-free environment.
”I decided to let the natural grasses grow, even though it looks shabby,” explained Milsaps, who has studied and appreciated natural vegetation for decades.
Next door, neighbor Frank Rocha also embraces the nature-first idea.
”We had chickens, we had ducks, we had peacocks,” Rocha said.
One of the reasons he moved to Oakland Estates was to raise chickens. He explained that the homeowners association often encourages animal ownership.
”There are people out here with goats, longhorn steer and horses,” Rocha said. “It’s a neat place to live.”
Like many neighborhoods in San Antonio, you will also find plenty of deer roaming the streets.
In fact, they felt comfortable to come near while filming our story.
There are also animals in the neighborhood that are not common, according to Milsaps.
”Ringtail cats ... they’re very interesting. They’re nocturnal,” Milsaps said.
That is just one example of why those who live in Oakland Estates love it so much.
“A great place to live. It is. I couldn’t want it any more. If heaven is better than this, I’ll try for it,” Milsaps joked.
The latest episode of “Know My Neighborhood” airs at 6 p.m. Thursday. You can watch the episode on KSAT.com, KSAT Plus, KSAT’s YouTube page, and all other KSAT digital platforms.
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