Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part XIII

Continuing with recent photos taken at The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast. We typically see snakes during the spring and summer so now is the time.


The first two are the most frequently seen snakes here at The Azure Gate:

Desert Kingsnake

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Here are two we don't see quite as often:

Sonoran Gopher Snake

Sonoran Shovel-nose Snake

Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part VI

Continuing with wildlife seen and photographed since the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic:

Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail

Cooper's Hawk Juvenile

 Coyotes come by frequently but don't linger. They may stop to get a drink in one of our water bowls. Otherwise they are just passing through on the hunt. Here's a very healthy looking one:

Coyote

Desert Cottontail

Desert Kingsnake

Harris Antelope Ground Squirrel

The Azure Gate Snakes

It's that time of year when we start seeing snakes again.

Over the years we have seen 10 different species of snakes on our property. It's not a daily occurrence. We see a Desert Kingsnake 7 or 8 times a year. We see a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake four or five times a year. They are the most common. We see a Sonoran Gopher Snake a couple times a year and then occasionally Black Racers, Sonoran Coachwhip, Bullsnake, Sonoran Shovel-Nose Snake, Western Long-Nose Snake, and Sonoran Mountain Snake.

Last week we had a Desert Kingsnake in the area around our pool. He was after a clutch of Quail eggs that were in a Red Cane Yucca pot on the upper level of our oasis. It took him quite a while to figure out how to get there. In the meantime, the mother Quail was in a nearby tree squawking. The eggs had just hatched and the baby chicks were scurrying around in the pot trying to figure out what to do. The Kingsnake (fortunately for the baby Quail) finally gave up.

Also last week a large Western Diamondback Rattlesnake paid us a visit. (Large meaning 5 foot in length and weighing in the neighborhood of 6 pounds). When first seen he was drinking water from a bird bath. He then "slithered" under a porch chair and became agitated as more of our guests came by for looks and photos. (Agitated meaning rapidly moving his upper body back and forth while rattling). Christine calmly talked to the rattler and he eventually calmed down and slithered off to a spot under one of our pomegranate trees. After everyone got their photos I suggested that we let him be. I checked back 30 minutes later and he was gone.

Desert Kingsnake

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Desert Kingsnake

We've had 10 different snakes over the years of running The Azure Gate B&B. We know the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake lives on our property. And we sometimes see the little ones -- about the size of a pencil. The one we see the most of, however, is the Desert Kingsnake. This is a very beautiful snake as you can see from the photos. I found it cooling off in one of our bird baths by the office:

On a Hot Summer Day in Tucson

First, just an interesting note. This morning I looked to see who was visiting our blog today: US and Canada of course; but also Brazil, Australia, Philippines, Pakistan, Russia, Czechia, Germany, France, UK, and Ireland -- and it's not even 7:00 am yet.

It's been a very busy year here at The Azure Gate. We're now in our summer months and yet business is still high. During the summer we get more guests from around the world. Last week we had someone from Taiwan (as I mentioned earlier), this week a couple from Qatar, our next arriving guests are from Switzerland; early next month a couple from Germany, then two weeks later returning guests from England.

We've been having record heat here the past week. So not much to report in terms of birding excursions. In fact, ABA Birding News has had very few posts this past week. Part of it is that birds are in hiding during the heat of the day -- and part of it is that birders are in hiding during the heat of the day.

Yet, life goes on here at The Azure Gate. Yesterday morning around 5:30 I walked out our bathroom door to swim and there at my feet was a beautiful Desert Kingsnake. I didn't have my camera with me, so here is an old photo to give you a picture of one:

Desert Kingsnake

After my swim I looked around for him but didn't see him. Then after getting dressed and on my way over to the office I saw what I thought was him crossing the driveway. As I got closer I realized in was a different snake -- a Sonoran Gopher Snake. I grabbed my camera but couldn't get a good photo before he hid in Christmas and Prickly Pear Cactus. Here is a previous photo to show what he looks like:

Sonoran Gopher Snake

As I returned to the office with my camera, I noticed a beautiful Broad Billed Hummingbird sitting in the big Palo Verde Tree outside the office. So I did get that photo:

Broad Billed Hummingbird

Thinking this was a pretty good start to the day I left my camera out where I could get at it quickly if I needed. During the next hour or so I got the following photos:

Black Tailed Jackrabbit

Male Cardinal

Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail

Roadrunner

Not bad for a day where the temperature reached 120 degrees. And I didn't have to go up Mount Lemmon (where it is 30 degrees cooler) to get any of these photos.

Now, an update. That was yesterday. After I wrote this post this morning I made breakfast for Christine and me. Just as we sat down outside to eat our resident Cooper's Hawk came in and sat at one of our bird baths. He was there for about 30 minutes; first resting, then bathing, then resting again. This is a fairly common occurrence which fortunately guests often get to see. In fact it happens frequently enough that I no longer rush to get my camera. I just sit quietly and watch so as not to disturb him.

We do love the wildlife here. (As do our guests from the US and from around the world).

Slytherin Part III

Our most commonly seen snake is the Desert Kingsnake. This is a beautiful snake found only in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. It is nonvenomous and eats rodents, lizards, and smaller snakes --- including young rattlesnakes. (They are immune to venom of poisonous snakes). Larger rattlesnakes will back away from the Desert Kingsnake. The Desert Kingsnake is a very powerful constrictor which is how it first kills its prey. Through their sense of smell they can find reptile eggs. They can grow up to 7 feet in length. They are very docile animals and don't seem to be worried by humans. Once we were sitting by the pool and one "slithered" in for a drink out of the pool -- see photo below. Another time I went to clean the pool basket, reached down to grab the basket handle and almost grabbed a baby snake.

Life around The Azure Gate

There are also things to see around The Azure Gate. Maybe it is a Coyote passing through late in the morning; or maybe a snake or two (Sonoran Gopher Snake, Desert Kingsnake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake) or maybe one of many Round Tail Ground Squirrels poking their head up out of their burrow --  all of which we've seen here in the past week.

Coyote

Sonoran Gopher Snake

Desert Kingsnake

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Round Tailed Ground Squirrel

Holes, Rocks, and Trees

 HOLES: The first photo is the Desert Kingsnake. This is the most common snake we have on the property. I startled one last week watering a potted flower. I was not paying much attention and as soon as I put the hose in the pot out jumped this five foot Desert Kingsnake. The Desert Kingsnake lives in holes typically dug by Harris Antelope or Round Tail Ground Squirrels -- of which there are many. ROCKS: The second photo is a Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake (5,000 ft). We were picnicking in Madera Canyon (about an hour's drive from us) when this guy crawled out from between some rocks.  I always try to be prepared for these momentary pleasures, so this was the first of several photos. TREES: Yes, snakes like trees, too. The third photo is the Sonoran Coachwhip. I was driving north past Mescal, AZ to get to the East side of the Rincon Mountains (again about one hour's drive). The Rincon Mountains is where Saguaro National Park is, although access is almost always from the West side. As I was driving I saw this snake "sunbathing" in the middle of the (dirt) road. I stopped, got my camera and he decided that was enough sunbathing and took off so fast I only knew what direction he went. I kept looking around on the ground for him but couldn't find him. So, I turned to go back to my Jeep and saw him in the tree "sliding" through the branches like this was his natural habitat. (Which, later I found out was the case). He was a good eight or nine feet long and completely "pink" in color. Here I was in the desert and seeing something from the Amazon.

The Swimming Pool

Day before yesterday, I was watering the plants in the oasis. As I started watering one of the potted plants out jumped a Desert Kingsnake. We seemed to startle each other. I was reminded of previous "encounters" in the oasis with these "nice fellows." Once I was cleaning the pool filter, reached down to get the basket and and instead of grabbing the plastic handle, felt the slimy soft skin of a young Desert Kingsnake (top photo). On another occasion, my brother-in-law was here with his family. We were in the oasis having breakfast and he was asking about how often we saw snakes. I think the words were still rolling out of his mouth when I looked down at the pool and saw this Desert Kingsnake drinking water from the pool. That was a treat for him and his family. (Except for those who were still in bed). The Desert Kingsnake is the snake we see the most here on the property. But, we have also had our share of Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes, Black Racers, Sonoran Gopher Snakes, Bull Snakes, and once a Western Longnose Snake. Most of these are really nice to have around. They keep the "pack rat" population down.