I owe this photo to my hiking companions this morning. We were just ending our hike when someone spotted these Mule Deer behind the Palo Verde tree on the right. We stood very still hoping they would come out into the open and Voila! They walked right in front of one of the most recognized rock formations up in the North Preserve. Awesome 🙂
So…besides avoiding the heat, Mule Deer are yet another reason to get out early to hike! (click photo for full size)
Category Archives: citizen scientists
New Trail Preview
Very early this morning….with permit in hand…. I decided to look for snakes on the soon to be finished Marcus Landslide trail and all I can say is WOW! It is a spectacular trail that winds in and around humongous boulders and the views from all points on the trail are also spectacular! This photo shows one of the huge boulders with a hiker close by for scale. Note that the boulder also has a face 🙂 (click photo for full size)
Earlier this week (still looking for snakes), I got a few photos of the guys building the trail. (Click photos for full size).
Spotted in The North Preserve
There are a lot of exciting things going on in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve at the moment! The Tom’s Thumb Trailhead is well on it’s way and is going to be a spectacular starting point to several new trails. I eagerly await the new Marcus Landslide Trail but did you know there is now a new trail to Rock Knob?! In my capacity as a Steward and with my various permits in hand, I hiked it several times last week with hopes of documenting reptiles, flora, mammals and birds. Here is what I found this past week and the weeks since my last post:
REPTILES
My most exciting find was just a few days ago on the Rock Knob Trail when this guy came walking toward me.
BIRDS
Bird photography is my latest passion. I knew it would be difficult but I underestimated just how hard it is to get a clear shot of a bird. Most of the time, birds are too far away but even if they are closer, you have to be very fast or they are gone before you can capture them. I was able to document some, though. Here are my favorites.
Flying Insect Survey Begins
The Flying Insect Survey got under way officially Saturday, March 24th with Ron Rutowski as our lead investigator. We began with some classroom instruction on what to keep our eyes out for. After class, walked out to the Bajada Nature Trail to get in a little practice. We found a Pallid-winged Grasshopper and a small Yellow and Black Beetle (unidentified). Below in order posted are 1. Classroom at the Gateway 2. Pallid-winged Grasshopper 3. Ornate Checkered beetle on Hedgehog bloom. Click Images to Enlarge. Close window to Return.
On Friday, March 30th, I went out to the Marcus Landslide Trail to look for flying insects. I did find one beetle but also a crab spider. Most exciting, though, was an encounter with not one but two Diamondback Rattlesnakes! Below in order posted are 1. Ornate Checkered beetle 2. Crab Spider on Xanthisma 3. Diamondback . Click Images to Enlarge. Close window to Return.
I went to Marcus Landslide Trail again on Sunday, April 1st with some fellow stewards. We came across a few flying insects including Butterflies but a variety of birds were the hit of the morning. Below (in order posted) are 1. Canyon Towhee 2. Crab Spider feeding on a moth 3. Pallid-winged Grasshopper 4. Bot Fly 5. Reakirt’s Blue Butterfly 6. Phainopepla 7. White Crowned Sparrow 8. Possibly Square Spotted Blue Butterfly 9. Beetle on Delphinium 10. Robin (there was a big flock!) Click Images to Enlarge. Close window to Return.
Cup a Lizards
Yesterday was collection day for two ground dwelling trap locations and we were surprised to see these two guys trapped. I would have thought the lizards feet would be able to grasp the plastic but the solo cups are obviously a lot more slippery than I would have guessed! Anyway….I wondered if they snacked on whatever insects had been trapped 🙂
Because of the still very cold evenings, we haven’t collected anything really interesting yet. Mostly ants, small spiders and some teeny tiny insects that only a microscope can help identify. I’m looking forward to what shows up when the heat brings them out at night! To see more photos from our surveys, click on the CITIZEN SCIENTIST tab above.