Ears

Not much comment needed for this little beauty, the ears say it all.

Cryptic

In contrast to the previous post, I suspect this image shows the tones that most people think of when you mention the desert. The little cottontail blends in so perfectly with its surroundings.

I am linking this post to Eileen's Saturday's Critters.

Softness

So many of the organisms that I post on this blog are spiky, spiny or venomous so it makes a nice change to be able to capture one of the gentler characters occasionally. The Desert Cottontail.  

Flying Rabbits!

Sometimes when I download the images from my wildlife cameras it takes me a minute to work out what it is that the camera snapped, in this instance I had to zoom in a little.

Flying rabbits!!!

Keeping Warm

It is getting to that time of year again when the nights get cold and all the creatures need to eat more to keep warm. Of course the Cottontails are back at the quail block gnawing away every morning when I wake up. I think this one should consider a new career as a sculptor though don't you?

Peep!

There is someone lurking behind my quail block! Could this be a Monty Python sketch? Killer Rabbit!!!

Sharing

There are many species that enjoy snacking on the quail block and they are not all feathered. I was fortunate to catch this sweet moment one afternoon, a Round-tailed Ground Squirrel and a Cottontail both munching contentedly away side by side.

The Easter Bunny

Says Happy Easter to everyone.

That Fur Coat

What to do when you are a little rabbit wearing a snuggly fur coat and it is over one hundred degrees outside?

Well, you dig a little rabbit shaped trench under the shade of a big agave plant and you take a nice peaceful siesta!

And snooze away a hot Sunday afternoon.

Sorry about the poor photos but little rabbit was right outside our dining room window so I was shooting through glass whilst trying not to disturb him :)

Multiplying

All the jokes have been made about how quickly they reproduce and maybe if I was planning on ploughing up my beautiful desert landscape and planting lots of vegetables I would be less keen on these little guys but for me they are just a part of a balanced ecosystem. If all the predators were to disappear, heaven forbid, then I am sure we would be very quickly over run but thankfully we have a strong population of snakes, hawks, owls, bobcats and coyotes so all is well.

So I can happily watch the rabbits foraging outside the office window without being concerned about priceless petunias.

And when the little babies appear I don't moan at the thought of lost plants

Instead I respect these little fluffy bundles for surviving in such a harsh climate where food is scarce and danger is plentiful

And if they do appear to be multiplying at this time of year I know that is natures plan, to keep others fed.

I enjoy their long-eared antics and who can resist this little one?

Just Passing Through

I posted about my wildlife camera earlier this year. It is a bit like Christmas, you leave it alone for a few weeks then take out the memory card and download the images to see what has passed by when you weren't looking! I love the surprises. Some of them are pretty predictable like the ever present rabbits.

Some are very shy like the gentle deer. Was she looking in through the kitchen window that morning I wonder?

The javalinas almost always come by at night, I've only seen them once in the daylight so without my wildlife camera I would never know they had been here. (Can you see the second one in the background?)

And the cheeky Roadrunner strolls about with his tail in the air just whenever it suits him!

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Wildlife Cam

These photos are not going to win any prizes for composition or clarity but I am enjoying my new wildlife camera. My Hubby bought it for me for Christmas but, as with all these things, it took me a while to get round to setting it up. I like the idea of something taking pictures of the animals without disturbing them. I haven't captured too much with it yet but it's early days.
The usual passers by are the ever present Gambel's Quails

Next most frequently snapped are the rabbits - spot the ears!

And soon follows the rest of him

Another pair of ears kept me guessing, I thought it might be the Bobcat but they usually have white patches on the back of their ears so I will have to wait and see if the rest of it puts in an appearance sometime soon.

 It captures night time visitors too. Don't the Javalinas look foreboding in the dark?

Then there is the member of the household who just can't seem to remember that the camera is on!

Hmmmm can't seem to find this species in any of my field guides!

New Kids on the Block

They are sold as Quail Blocks but I sometimes wonder why the quail don't register a complaint under the Trades Description Act. The Mourning Doves enjoy eating it


And it is unusual not to see the Antelope Squirrels grabbing a snack from it


The Thrasher chisels away at it with that fearsome beak


And the Round-tailed Ground Squirrel just can't get enough of it.


And the new kids on the block? Well that would be the Rabbits who have recently discovered this yummy delicacy!



Just occasionally the poor old Quails get to dine at the Quail Block, or should that be the Dove, Squirrel, Thrasher, Ground Squirrel, Rabbit, Quail Block?! What a good job the Quail are prepared to share.


Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods.

A Notice to the Wildlife

If you wear your skeleton on the outside and see the world through a matrix,


If your babies live and breath in water and you need external temperatures to warm your body,


If your scales have evolved into beautiful feathers and you have mastered the skies,


If your gender can be influenced by the temperature your eggs are incubated at and you have the ability to grow some of your extremities back,


If you carry your young inside your own body and then when they finally emerge you feed them rich, nourishing milk that you produce,


You are all welcome into my yard!* I am honored to share this space with you and I will do my utmost not to interfere in your existence. Please forgive me if I am a nosy neighbour because I love watching you all going about your day to day lives and photographing you.

*The only exception is humans!!!

Strike the pose

The last post was 'spines in the sunlight', this one is 'ears in the sunlight' :)

Life must be stressful

When you are on everyone's menu.