Favorite Wildlife Photos from 2018 - XIX

First a big thank you to El Salvador the 140th country to visit our Blog. We are grateful to those around the world that share a love of nature.

Continuing our series on Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2018 we come to Pronghorn. I never tire of seeing them. Here are two "favorites" from last year:

Note the little guy (or gal) laying down.

Photos from Las Cienegas just north of Sonoita, Arizona

Winter Wildlife Photos: Pronghorn

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife: The Pronghorn.

"Of all the animals we have seen the Antelope (Pronghorn) seems to possess the most wonderful fleetness. Shy and timorous they generally repose only on the ridges, which command a view of all the approaches of an enemy." Lewis and Clark.

It is true, Pronghorn have very large eyes which can detect movement from 4 miles away with 320 degree vision.

It is also true, Pronghorn are the fastest mammals in the Western Hemisphere and the second fastest mammal in the world (second only to the Cheetah). Actually the Pronghorn can maintain their speed longer than the Cheetah.

The pronghorn has a large windpipe, heart, and lungs which allow it to take in large amounts of air while it runs. They also have a very light bone structure with two long, cushioned, pointed toes which aid in running at high speeds.

They are built for speed and not jumping. So they can't (don't) jump fences like deer. They will go under fences instead of over them. Ranchers have been removing the barbed wire from the bottom of their fences and replacing it with barbless wire to lessen the damage to the Pronghorn.

Pronghorn's primary range in the US is Montana through Eastern Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arizona, though they can also be found in Minnesota, South Dakota, West Texas, Utah and Nevada. There is a subspecies, the Sonoran Pronghorn, in Southern Arizona and Mexico that is endangered. The US population of the Sonoran Pronghorn is less than 500.

Below are "winter" photos of Pronghorn from Montana. I like the first because it seems like a Japanese silk painting.

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part I

There are three large (hot) deserts in North America (Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave). Deserts are defined as areas with less than 10 inches of rainfall per year. There are cold deserts as well, the Great Basin being the largest in North America. Las Cienegas is 45,000 acres where the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts meet. 

Empire Ranch, part of Las Cienegas, began in 1871 with 160 acres and grew to over 180 square miles. It was the site of over 50 films with a wide range of stars like John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Burt Lancaster, and Steve McQueen. It remains a working ranch today as part of Las Cienegas in a cooperative agreement with the US Bureau of Land Management.

Las Cienegas is a diverse wildlife area with a stable population of Pronghorn (often seen), Javelinas, Gray Foxes, Coyotes, White Tailed Deer, and the endangered Black Tailed Prairie Dog among other animals. As far as birding it has a wide range including many of Arizona's sparrows, all four Kingbirds, both Meadowlarks -- and several raptors.  There is also a spring in Empire Gulch which provides water above ground for a hundred yards or more. This creates a diverse riparian area with warblers, grosbeaks, cardinals, tanagers, and other birds.

I'll spend the next few posts sharing photos from Las Cienegas. First, the Pronghorn:

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area

One of my favorite places in Southern Arizona is Las Cienegas -- the home of Empire Ranch -- and about 50 western movies of old.

It's a great place for sparrows, kingbirds, and meadowlarks. They're everywhere. There is the Cottonwood Pond which can attract some rarities (Black Bellied Whistling Duck and Rosette Spoonbill to name a couple).  It also has a wonderful riparian wetland called Empire Gulch. And it's not just birds. Over the years I've seen Pronghorn, Deer, Javelina, Coyote, Rattlesnakes, Jackrabbits, and Black Tailed Prairie Dogs. 

Here are some photos from my trip earlier this week:

Belted Kingfisher

Black Tailed Prairie Dog

Pronghorn

Raven

Red Tailed Hawk

Vermillion Flycatcher

Pronghorn Days

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area is 45,000 acres northeast of Sonoita. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife. The grasses provide shelter and food for a wide variety of Sparrows and Longspurs. The area is a great place to find four different species of Kingbirds (Western, Cassin's, Tropical, and Thick-billed). Flocks of Meadowlarks -- mostly western but some eastern seem to be everywhere.

There is Cottonwood Pond which attracts waterbirds and flycatchers with an occasional rarity: Black Bellied Whistling Ducks, Rosette Spoonbills ...

Then there is a spring in Empire Gulch that produces a variety of Warblers:  Yellow, MacGillivray's, Black and White, Black-throated Grey, Yellow-rumped, Wilson's, Common Yellowthroat, Lucy's, Orange Crowned, and the occasional Northern Waterthrush.

In addition to the avian wildlife, there are Javelinas, Coyotes, Jackrabbits, White Tailed Deer, and Pronghorn -- which the subject of this post.

Las Cienegas is probably the most reliable place to find pronghorn in Southern Arizona. Sometimes they are near highway 83 just north of Sonoita. Sometimes there are in the fields along Curly Horse Road. And sometimes they are in the grasslands along the dirt road through the preserve. 

Regardless of how often seen, it is still a delight finding them -- and photographing them. They are truly beautiful animals. Here are some photos from the last week:

New Year's Babies: Pronghorn

Another of Mother Nature's beautiful animals, the Pronghorn:

My Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2017 - 14

Continuing with my favorite wildlife photos of 2017 (in alphabetical order):

Pronghorn

This was taken at Las Cienegas in June with a temperature of 110 degrees. No wonder the Pronghorn was in the shade of the Mesquite Tree.

Birding Patagonia - III

12 miles north of Patagonia sits Sonoita, most noted for its wineries and The Cafe. But just north and east is Las Cienegas National Conservation Area which is 25,000 acres of wonderful grasslands and riparian areas.

It has a wide variety of sparrows, kingbirds, mockingbirds etc. It's probably the best place in Southern Arizona to find the beautiful Pronghorn. So after birding Patagonia I drove through Las Cienegas looking for those Pronghorn. And, yes I found a beautiful male (and a female). The male was taking shade in the 105 degree temperature:

Pronghorn

Also along the way a Roadrunner

And since there were literally hundreds of Kingbirds I thought I'd get at least one photo

Best Wildlife Photos of 2016: Pronghorn

I think Pronghorn are beautiful. They often seem like they are wear a tuxedo. This male was found in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area just north of Sonoita, Arizona:

Pronghorn

More from San Rafael Valley

On this same trip as the Harrier Hawks, I walked away with several other nice photos:

American Kestrel

Montezuma Quail

Montezuma Quail

Phainopepla

Pronghorn

Savannah Sparrow

Eastern Meadowlark

White Tailed Kite

Empire Gulch at Las Cienegas, Arizona

On another short trip this week I wanted to see what was happening at Empire Gulch. This truly is a wonderful birding spot. Always water and always birds. Here are some of my favorites from the couple hours I spent both in the gulch and around Las Cienegas:

Pipevine Swallowtail

Periwinkle

Ruby Crowned Kinglet (showing off his ruby crown)

Yellow Warbler

Western Meadowlark

Pronghorn

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part III

Las Cienegas also has a small population of Pronghorn wandering around its 25,000 acres. I have had great luck finding them and being able to get close for a photo. On one of my trips last week I found two Pronghorn a little too far for a great photo, but here it is nonetheless:

Pronghorn

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - IV

Pronghorn Today. Pronghorn seem to be doing well in Yellowstone these days. I saw more on this trip than in previous trips -- and in a wider variety of areas.

This first photo was taken along Yellowstone River off a side road just north of Gardiner, so actually before you get to the park. Pronghorn were also in the fields around the North Entrance.

This next photo was taken on Blacktail Plateau Road, a six mile one way dirt road between Mammoth and Tower:

Western Wyoming is probably the best place in the US to find and photograph Pronghorn. I came across this female with her two fawns about 50 miles south of Grand Teton National Park. First, they posed for me while eating among the sagebrush. Then they took off running. Then stopped at the crest of the hill with the snow covered mountains of Bridger Wilderness in the background: