Bighorn Sheep

We saw two bighorn sheep at the canyon. The smaller one is wearing a GPS collar, the sheep are likely part of a reintroduction effort.

Badgers

This morning I saw three young American badgers.  I did the best I could taking pictures from the road, not wanting to move any closer and possibly scare them, and not knowing if their mother was nearby.

The badgers were under the shaggy mesquite tree on the left:

Two badgers were tumbling around playing with each other and one was digging, maybe foraging for small animals such as ground squirrels.

What a morning!  In addition to the badgers I also saw javelinas, deer, a jack rabbit and a large snake all before 7:00 am.

A little squirrel tail

In the Sonoran Desert, we have "Round-tailed" Ground Squirrels.  As you can see, their tails are smaller than those of tree squirrels.  There aren't many tall trees in the desert so these squirrels don't need big bushy tails for balancing.  They live underground and most of their food is found on or close to the ground.

Here's a squirrel in a creosote bush eating seeds.

See how he held onto the branch with his hind foot.

Notice the different ways they can use their tails for support while standing. 

This baby squirrel puffed up its tail.  It probably wanted me to go away, so I did. :)

If you like squirrels, check out the Plantain Squirrel in a Malaysian jungle at Rainfield's place.

June Morning Shadows

Here are some shadow shots from my walk in the desert yesterday morning.  In June, it is so bright and sunny at 6:00AM, I have to adjust the exposure bias on my camera to -2/3 or else the highlights blow out.  That makes the image on the LCD screen dim, and with sunglasses on I can barely see what I'm shooting.  Luckily, the bunny and squirrel were standing still like statues, so I was able to picture them.

See more shadowy images at Shadow Shot Sunday, hosted by Tracy.

Ground Squirrels

I don't know what this little guy was eating...

but, apparently it was too good to share!

Shadows of Squirrels

Three types of ground squirrels live in the Sonoran Desert:

Round-tailed Ground Squirrel

Harris' Antelope Ground Squirrel

Rock Squirrel

These were all found in the Coronado National Forest.  I love squirrels, but I never see any in my yard, not even at the bird feeders.  Fortunately, I get to enjoy pictures of squirrels at friends' blogs regularly. :)

For more Shadow Shot Sunday images, visit Hey Harriet hosted by Tracy.

Wild Bunnies

Greetings from the Sonoran Desert in the Southwestern US!  Here is a mosaic of three different bunnies seen in the natural desert this spring.

First row: Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii

Second row: Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus

Third row: White-tailed Jackrabbit  Lepus townsendii

 

Desert Cottontail in a field of tiny wildflowers:

Bristly Nama or Sandbells

Nama hispidum

 

 

 

 

White-tailed Jackrabbit

 

 

 

 

 

See more Mosaic Monday posts at Little Red House hosted by Mary.

Reflections at the Oasis

These pictures are from last month when I went exploring and came upon an old horse trail.  I looked over the railing on top of the embankment and couldn’t believe how non-desert-like the area seemed with the water and green grass.  Just when I started taking some reflection photos, I had an eerie feeling that I was not alone.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sure enough, there were two coyotes watching me.  I backed away because I’m afraid of them.

Just the day before I had seen a coyote tearing into a javelina (wild boar-like animal).  I’m so glad to have 20x zoom on my camera to snap pictures from a safe distance.

More Weekend Reflections at Newtown Area Photo here.

Cactus Picnic Area – Snapshots