Winter Wildlife Photos: Snow Goose

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife we come to the Snow Goose. We find Snow Geese occasionally here in Arizona. In fact, there has been a single Snow Goose at Lakeside Park for the past 10 months. But, Snow Geese winter in huge numbers in Washington State after spending the Summer in Siberia. Here, some of the 10,000-15,000 Snow Geese on Fir Island with Mount Baker in the background:

Winter Wildlife Photos: Bald Eagle

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife we come to the Bald Eagle.

One morning shortly after moving to Southern Arizona from the Northwest, I met an "older" man who was retired and who fished every day at Columbus Lake in West Tucson. He was so excited because earlier that morning there was quite a commotion: a Bald Eagle there at the lake. It was the first Bald Eagle he had ever seen. I let him enjoy his story saying, "That must have been quite a thrill."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that Bald Eagles are common in Western Washington; that in fact, in the winter along the Skagit River, you could relatively easily find 100 of the 500 Bald Eagles that hunt along the Skagit for Chum Salmon.

Here is a photo of one of those Bald Eagles sitting on top of what looks to be a 20 pound salmon:

Bald Eagle with 20 pound Chum Salmon

Winter Wildlife Photos: Sandhill Crane

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife, we come to Sandhill Cranes. Winter Wildlife doesn't always mean "snow." Winter in Southern Arizona is relatively mild compared to the more northern parts of North America. 

Whitewater Draw in Southeast Arizona collects the largest concentration of wintering Sandhill Cranes in the United States. Yearly estimates can be as high as 42,000. Typically, they start arriving in late October, peaking in late January. They start heading north in mid-March. 

Here a photo from Whitewater Draw:

Sandhill Cranes

Winter Wildlife Photos: Red Squirrel

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife, here a cute little Red Squirrel which ought to be underground:

Red Squirrel (photo taken in British Columbia)

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.

Winter Wildlife Photos: Mule Deer

Continuing my series on Winter Wildlife we come to Mule Deer.

In the first photo I was traveling in Southeast Oregon heading to Hart Mountain where Pronghorn gather for the winter. There was a wide open field ahead of me on the right with ten Mule Deer feeding on the grasses. Since they were unprotected I figured that they would cross the road, hop the fence, and head up the mountain side. I slowly turned my Jeep so that I could get a good look at the fence ahead from the driver's side window. Sure enough, they obliged, ran across the road, and hopped the fence:

This photo was also taken as I travelled through Southeast Oregon on that same trip:

Winter Wildlife Photos: American Marten

Winter is approaching. And with it comes opportunity for interesting if not fascinating wildlife photography.

Continuing the series on "Winter Wildlife" Photos: The American Marten

Here then, the American Marten that was behind me as I was photographing the Bull Moose:

American Marten in Jackson County, Colorado