Album Wildlife

[Scott Chandler]

Chippie scrunching



Cute little boop

 

[Yvonne]

Dang Yvonne! You're finding all the snakies!!!!

it's so weird!!! All these years I was here in Utah I never saw a snake at all. Not a single rattlesnake, never. And I hiked a lot before I moved to Hawai'i and after that.
But this year I see a rattler at least once a week. I'm not sure what happened but they are not scared of me anymore.

 

[TractorDoc]

That’s a male Red-Bellied Woodpecker, super active now. Awesome property you have!

Thanks for that! We have all kinds of woodpeckers here -- there is always some sort of head banging sound heard in the distance. A real treat is getting to see a Pileated Woodpecker but they are rather shy and fly off as soon as they notice you notice them.

More amateur backyard photography today. When heading out to work yesterday morning I noticed something in the boxwood just off the porch. Can you see it? Hint, its brown.



I am the type of person that has an instinctual fear of snakes -- at least when I do not know they are there. I've been known to jump in the air and make unusual noises when one startles me. Once I'm aware of their presence I'm ok with them, so I moved in for a closer look. (All the while I was thinking it was going to shoot out of the shrub and latch onto my nose).
You can't hide from me!



When I returned from the office a couple hours later the Garter Snake had emerged and was warming itself in the sun. Note the ant on his/her back. The snake never twitched a muscle with that ant there.



Even when it crawled up onto his head.



I have always wanted to try and catch a snake tongue shot so I upped the film speed and waited for just the right moment. . . got it!



The adventures continued today as I was starting to get some planters filled. I reached down for some pots and quickly did that jumping/sound making thing I described earlier. An Eastern Milk Snake found the pots a nice place to hide behind.



Closer view.



The only issue I have is that the snakes have moved on now. I just know they are waiting to scare me again.

 

[gnwatts]

From a tree beside our house.

 

[Yvonne]

Curious Chuckwalla

I went on a short hike today and for some reason, I thought I should bring my long lens with me. At one point, I scared a chuckwalla away. That's what I usually do when I hike - I scare wildlife off and away.
Well, I knew that chuckwallas are very curious and never hide in a crevice for long. So I dropped my gear, sat a few feet away from the crevice, and waited without moving or making noise. Sure enough, the chuckwalla came back out after a few minutes and checked if all was clear. I took a few images while it was checking the air and I then slowly retreated. The chuckwalla never noticed that I was there again, lol.
Mission accomplished, I got my images and kept hiking.

 

[Ohsheepdog]

I lifted some cardboard in the burn barrel and found a Carolina Wren nest. I love the pathway of moss leading from the opening to the eggs

 

[TractorDoc]

I lifted some cardboard in the burn barrel and found a Carolina Wren nest.

I have one of those in a porch planter pot. Plants are waiting for the birds to move out to be planted!

I took a walk last night to look at the wild phlox blooming along the tree lines. I heard a scurrying sound above me and when I looked up I was surprised to see a groundhog of all things up in a tree.



When I walked closer he/she let out a whistle and showed a little tooth. For years I thought this sound (when I heard it in the distance) was a bird, but today I learned its a groundhog whistle!



I half expected it to jump down on me, but it seemed rather comfortable on its perch. The real question is was this a Groundhog or was it really a Tree-hog?

 

[Wanderlust073]

RMNP teeming with wildlife this weekend. Very enjoyable visit, they should keep the visitation capacity limit in place forever.

 

[b.stark]

Found this deer today, it did not stay around for conversation.

 

[Yvonne]

I finally found my first California Kingsnake while on my evening walk. I really thought I will never find one.

 

[Perry]

I finally found my first California Kingsnake while on my evening walk. I really thought I will never find one.

They are so beautiful.

 

[Yvonne]

They are so beautiful.

totally!!! So weird that I never saw one until today. I would love to have one as a pet, lol

 

[Ugly]

On Father's day morning, I looked up from reading a book on my phone, and was staring at this guy. Took a video, so this is just one of the stills. Until I raised my hand to start the video he was just staring at me, trying to figure out what I was.
Nice summer coat and velvet.

 

[Yvonne]

for my snake count this year:
Found this baby Western Groundsnake on one of my evening hikes

 

[Yvonne]

no snakes this time, but since I now hike after dark and at night, I see a lot of kangaroo rats. They are so cute!!! They pretty much hop over my feet.
Sorry, I do not take a camera with me on my hikes, just my iPhone. So the quality is not the best
Holding a flashlight and focusing at the same time is tough

 

[OwenM]

I hate to defile this thread full of great pics, but I saw black bears for the very first time *while backpacking* week before last.
Didn't have my camera, and my phone was charging in my tent. The one that I looked up and saw close to me ran off when I went for it, and up the ridge to where a second bear was.
So I was zoomed in with a smartphone from over 50yds, and what I got looks like one of those Bigfoot videos...
Already deleted the videos, but found a GIF I'd forgotten making on my phone.
It was a big deal for a minute or two("oh, there he is, there he is-I see you!"), and I was happy about getting to see them

 

[gnwatts]

Kingsnake is my favorite snake. Gorgeous.

 

[gnwatts]

A few miles from our house.

 

[b.stark]

A not so responsible cell phone pic taken while riding a bike along a gravel path at a fair rate of speed. The result was decent though.

 

[TractorDoc]

A couple critters close to home.

Noticed this Imperial Moth hanging out near the garage security light. That is not a rare species of purple moss its clinging to. . . just the car wash towel hanging out to dry.



Noticed this Ohio Water Snake while on the morning dog walk. With the pooch back in the house I returned and the snake was still basking in the sun. . . I was able to take this one picture before it quickly slithered off.