Huachuca Canyon

Christine and I got away to hike Huachuca Canyon on For Huachuca. Here are a few photos from our visit:

Bridled Titmouse

Plumbeous Vireo

Spotted Towhee

Sulphur Bellied Flycatcher

Summer Tanager

White Tailed Deer

Favorite Wildlife Photos from 2018 - XXX

Continuing my series on Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2018 we come to the all too common White Tailed Deer. Nonetheless, I couldn't help taken a photo:

White Tailed Deer -- Young Buck

Winter Wildlife Photos: White Tailed Deer

NOTE: Welcome Bhutan, the 138th Country of the World to visit our Blog. Thank you. Once again, I am both amazed and heart-warmed by people all over the world who share the same love of nature. Clearly something that brings us together as humans.

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife Photos we come to the White Tailed Deer.

 I took this photo in Western Montana. Among other reasons, I like it because it shows the different stages of emotion of White Tails. When the tail is down, the deer is "calm," when the tail is parallel, the deer is "cautious," when the tail is up, the deer is "afraid."

Huachuca Canyon

One of my favorite places to hike, bird, search for wildlife in Huachuca Canyon at Fort Huachuca. Dawn morning is best for animals, early morning good for Montezuma Quail and Trogons, and when the sun comes over the mountain for the other birds.

I got out early hoping to get animals, and of course there's always a deer or two or ten. But not much else. I did hear Elegant Trogons for an hour or so and got a few photos. And flycatchers were more abundant than warblers this time.

The monsoon rains brought lots of wildflowers -- which brought lots of butterflies. I'll show those next time.

Here are some animal and bird photos: 

Young White Tailed Deer Buck

Elegant Trogon

Greater Pewee

Vermillion Flycatcher

Birding Mount Lemmon - Part VII

Driving the Sykes Knob turn off on Mount Lemmon:

Western Bluebird

Young White Tailed Deer Buck

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part II

Other mammals at Las Cienegas include White Tailed Deer:

Birding the San Pedro River

The San Pedro River offers wonderful year round birding. Springtime brings migrants - the orioles and tanagers are always photographable. Yet it offers a wide variety of other birds as well:

black chinned sparrow singing away at 6:00 am

black headed grosbeak

common ground dove

green tailed towhee

lark sparrow

the seemingly always present western screech owl

white crowned sparrow

and the occasional white tailed deer

Birding Madera Canyon

Christine and I birded the area between Proctor and Whitehouse in Madera Canyon hoping to find those little Black Capped Gnatcatcher -- and maybe the Elegant Trogon that had been reported.

No luck on either, but did find some birds to photograph.

Birding Babacomari Ranch

Franciscan Friar Marcos de Niza was the first European to set foot in what is now Arizona. He is credited as the first to take possession of the land now known as the Babacomari Ranch for the King of Spain in 1539, 80 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

The Babacomari Valley, located in the rich savanna rangelands of Southeast Arizona, has been supporting cattle and livestock together with abundant wild game and fish ever since.   

The current mission of the Babacomari Ranch is to holistically protect, preserve and enhance the natural resources, historic integrity and esthetic qualities of the Babacomari Ranch while providing a creative and collaborative environment that enhances the quality of life for its landowners, employees and neighbors.

The ranch's boundaries follow those of the original land grant "San Ignacio del  Babacomari" issued in 1832 by the Republic of Mexico to the Elias family, still prominent ranchers in Sonora. The ranch is nearly 28,000 acres, ranging from desert to riparian to woodland habitats. 

With water flowing through the Babacomari Creek year round, it is full of wildlife.

This was our first visit and we saw the potential for wonderful Spring and Summer birding along the riparian corridor. That's not to say we didn't find anything this wintery trip.

Here just a few of the photos:

Black Throated Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Loggerhead Shrike

White Tailed Deer

In addition to the above, we saw Cooper's Hawk's, Vermillion Flycatchers, Say's Phoebe, and a host of other sparrows.

My Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2017 - 18

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

White Tailed Deer

Deer are abundant all over North America. So I don't always stop, let alone take photos of them. Yet, here I was compelled. And, the result was better than I expected. The White Tailed Deer in the foreground in perfect focus; then a second deer in the background resembling a ghost. Lovely.

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Note: We would like to welcome Reunion as the 137th country/territory to visit our Blog. Actually part of France, Reunion is east of Madagascar off the eastern coast of Africa. 

Christine and I took guests to Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge yesterday. We walked the 1 mile loop around Grebe Pond. And while Aguirre Lake was dry, Grebe Pond provided some very nice birding opportunities.  

Lots of sparrows and yellow rumped warblers; with a small contingent of ducks and one great egret. But the highlights for the day were a single Snow Goose, a pair of Long Billed Curlews, and a pair of Prairie Merlins.

Oh, and a couple of young White Tailed Deer. Here are my favorite photos of the day:

Long Billed Curlew

Prairie Merline

Snow Goose

White Tailed Deer

Mountain Lemmon - Part II

Of course, birds aren't the only reason to make the trip up Mount Lemmon. Aside from the beautiful scenery and magnificent rock formations mother nature has given us plants and animals as well. Here  is a fun photo of two White Tailed Deer and then one of my favorite wildflowers, the Ivyleaf Morningglory.

White Tailed Deer

Ivyleaf Morningglory

Birding Mount Lemmon: Part II Others

Some other photos from my morning on Incinerator Ridge on Mount Lemmon:

Mountain Chickadee

Acorn Woodpecker

Hermit Thrush

Pygmy Nuthatch

Mountain Bluebird

It wasn't only birds though:

Ivyleaf Morningglory

White Tailed Deer