September 2, 2024
We awoke to another beautiful sunrise in the Huachuca Mountains. I could get used to this view.
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| View from Beatty's Guest Ranch - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
This was our final morning in this region; we had plans to make the long drive eastwards towards Portal at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains later in the day.
We decided that we would begin our morning hiking in Miller Canyon. However, this time we would take a side trail that ventured south into an area I had never explored before; the upper Hunter Canyon. We made our way through the cool environs of the shady Miller Canyon and then climbed over a small ridge leading into Hunter Canyon. The sun hit us as we crested the ridge.
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| Upper Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
Hunter Canyon was a lot more open than Miller Canyon and the trees were limited to the riparian corridor at the base of the valley. The trail was up on the hillside which provided good views of the treetops to our right. Birding was a little slow, but we soon found a flock which contained Laura's first Arizona Woodpecker. Couldn't ask for better views!
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| Arizona Woodpecker - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Arizona Woodpecker - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
We noted several other common bird species such as Plumbeous and Hutton's Vireo, Bewick's Wren, Spotted Towhee and Bridled Titmouse, while some crashing in the undergrowth alerted us to the activities of a pair of Collared Peccaries.
The Hutton's Vireo looks remarkably similar to a Ruby-crowned Vireo, though it moves slower and has a heavier bill and blue legs. If a Ruby-crowned Kinglet wanted to dress up as a vireo for Halloween, this would be the result.
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| Hutton's Vireo - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
I kept an eye out for interesting plants and insects as we walked.
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| Firecrackerbush (Bouvardia ternifolia) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
This species was familiar to me from back home in Ontario; the Nodding Onion.
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| Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Wheeler Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
These circles on a Palmer's Agave seemed interesting; later, I found out that they are created by the Speckled Agave Weevil, a species that feeds on various agaves.
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| Speckled Agave Weevil (Peltophorus polymitus) damage - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Villa lateralis - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Phrynotettix tschivavensis - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Nabakov's Satyr (Cyllopsis pyracmon) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
The temperatures increased as we hiked further into the valley. It sure seemed like it was now Snake o'Clock, and Dan and I headed off-trail to try our luck amongst the rock piles, grasses and agaves.
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| Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
We were initially unsuccessful, but we later found a gorgeous dry creek bed which just seemed perfect.
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| Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
A flash of red, black and white caught my eye. A Mountain Kingsnake!!
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| Chihuahuan Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis knoblochi) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
This was, amazingly, our third Chihuahuan Mountain Kingsnake in 24 hours! Some incredible luck with a species that can be supposedly difficult to find.
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| Chihuahuan Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis knoblochi) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
This was an absolutely gorgeous specimen; I can see why they are so popular with collectors for the pet trade. After a brief photoshoot we let this one on its way, wishing it luck.
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| Chihuahuan Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis knoblochi) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Chihuahuan Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis knoblochi) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
We hiked along the creek bed for a while longer, failing to turn up any additional snakes. And so we backtracked and began climbing back out of the canyon.
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| Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Mexican Yellow (Abaeis mexicana) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Desert Grassland Whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
The conditions just felt snakey and so we kept a vigilant eye out. Dan veered way off trail, bushwhacking his way up a hillside to investigate some tantalizing rock piles.
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| Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
His persistence paid off and we heard a distant yell of "rattlesnake!" from up the slope.
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| Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
It was an absolutely gorgeous Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake, one of the prettier species in this part of Arizona. This was an adult that was around 4 feet in length. It was happy to coil up and keep an eye on us; perfect for photos.
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| Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
I used to occasionally "mess" with venomous snakes with the aid of a snake hook, but my increasing age and common sense has meant that I haven't touched a venomous snake in years (decades even?) and I have no plans to again. That can make photography difficult, especially with some venomous species like coral snakes which tend to disappear into the leaf litter or down a hole as quickly as possible. But rattlesnakes will usually coil up when faced with a potential threat, meaning that they can be photographed relatively easily.
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| Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
Western Black-tailed Rattlesnakes are quite calm compared to other related species, like the Mojave and Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes. Though this one coiled up and rattled at us, it did not strike once. That being said, a 4-foot long rattlesnake buzzing at you will certainly get the heart rate up!
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| Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
We completed our photoshoot and encouraged the beautiful snake to crawl back into the rock pile. What a thrill to finally see this iconic species of the southwestern mountains!
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| Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - Hunter Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
There was one more snake in store for us on the walk back; a Black-necked Gartersnake that I spotted in Miller Canyon. Otherwise, it was a fairly uneventful hike back to Beatty's Guest Ranch.
We packed up our stuff and hit the road. Of course we would not be driving straight to Portal; Dan and I had come up with a few pit stops to break up the drive and to search for other species. The first was a dirt road just south of Sierra Vista called 3 Canyons Boulevard.
I was hoping to find Cassin's Sparrow since this was the only other bird species that would be a potential lifer for me on the trip. Unfortunately, the time of day did not help as barely any birds were active in the midday sun. We were also several weeks too late to find the displaying males. I heard a single Botteri's Sparrow sing in one of the fields (this is another main target for visiting birders here), but the Cassin's remained silent. We saw our first Northern Rough-winged Swallow of the trip, a Blue Grosbeak, and an adult Swainson's Hawk. But mostly, Dan and I photographed butterflies.
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| Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor) - 3 Canyons Blvd, Hereford, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) - 3 Canyons Blvd, Hereford, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) - 3 Canyons Blvd, Hereford, Cochise County, Arizona |
Three of the butterflies were new to me: Checkered White, Acacia Skipper and Western Pygmy-Blue.
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| Checkered White (Pontia protodice) - 3 Canyons Blvd, Hereford, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Acacia Skipper (Cogia hippalus) - 3 Canyons Blvd, Hereford, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium exilis) - 3 Canyons Blvd, Hereford, Cochise County, Arizona |
During the heat of the day, a visit to a hummingbird feeding station is always a good idea. While it can be difficult to find birds or other wildlife in the desert in the early afternoon, a bird feeding station is an oasis that proves attractive to many birds. We had just the place teed up for our next stop - the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary.
Formerly the residence of the late Mary Jo Ballator, the property was purchased by the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory in 2019. The organization has opened the property to the public and maintains the numerous hummingbird feeders and water features that are attractive to many bird species. We met the friendly volunteer, paid our suggested donation of $10 per person, and settled in to enjoy the show.
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| Black-chinned Hummingbird - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
One of the specialty birds here is a pair of Lucifer Hummingbirds; we were looking at them within a few minutes of our arrival. This southern species barely reaches southeastern Arizona and is highly sought by many birders. The long, curved bill shown by both the male and female is quite distinctive, and reminds me of the sheartails from further south.
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| Anna's (left) and Lucifer (right) Hummingbirds - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Lucifer Hummingbird (female) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
With some patience I finally managed the five-star photos of the male Lucifer Hummingbird that I had been envisioning.
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| Lucifer Hummingbird (male) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Lucifer Hummingbird (male) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
Calliope Hummingbird was another species that was on offer; a potential lifer for Laura. We found two individuals and managed some excellent views. This species isn't super common in southeastern Arizona as it migrates through here.
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| Calliope Hummingbird (female) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
The third species we were hoping for was Costa's Hummingbird. We had seen one or two in Phoenix during our first morning of the trip but the views were fleeting at best. After a wait of 30 minutes or so, the male Costa's appeared. Success!
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| Costa's Hummingbird (male) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Costa's Hummingbird (male) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
Many other birds and butterflies kept us entertained during our hour and a half at Ash Canyon. Below is a smattering of a few of them.
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| Cooper's Hawk - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Marcellina Sulphur (Phoebis marcellina) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Clark's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus clarkii) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Rufous Hummingbird - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Curve-billed Thrasher - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Blue Grosbeak - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| White-winged Dove - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Rivoli's Hummingbird - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Desert Grassland Whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens) - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
This Mexican Jay had a severe case of "sicklebill" going on. It's lower mandible had broken off, and the top mandible had grown extra long. Despite its disability, it was managing to scarf down the peanut butter suet with no issues.
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| Mexican Jay - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
This adorable Bushtit enjoyed a bath at one of the water features, followed by a preening session.
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| Bushtit - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Bushtit - Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, Cochise County, Arizona |
It is so difficult to leave bird feeding stations like this where the photography opportunities are almost endless. But we still had several hours of driving ahead of us. After making some trunk sandwiches, we hit the road.
We drove eastwards to Douglas, roughly paralleling the Mexican border, before turning northeast on Highway 80 towards Portal. The desert landscape was gorgeous and stark mountains rose up in the distance. We noted just a few new birds along this drive, including Loggerhead Shrike, Peregrine Falcon and Lark Sparrow. We stopped for a raven on the side of the road (Chihuahuan Raven is more likely in this stretch) but it stayed silent, and visually it seemed to better match Common Raven.
As afternoon turned into evening we pulled up to the Willow Tank just outside of Portal, a stone's throw from the New Mexico border. This human-made wetland was created to store water for irrigation during the dry periods of the year. Nowadays it is a popular birding hotspot with a hide and a trail circling the pond.
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| American Coot - Willow Tank, Cochise County, Arizona |
An incredible 256 species have been recorded here over the years. It truly is an oasis for migrating birds, and anything is possible. We couldn't turn up any rarities but enjoyed some of the common birds, including a pair of Brewer's Sparrows which was a new species for Laura.
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| Yellow Warbler - Willow Tank, Cochise County, Arizona |
The sun was setting as we pulled up to our Airbnb on the outskirts in Portal, but we had enough time to set up the bird feeders and water feature. For any naturalists visiting the Portal area, we cannot recommend the Green Witch Airbnb enough! The property is located in the Arizona Sky Village, which is a small community of around 20 houses scattered across an expanse of brushy desert. The people living here are mostly retirees, and each house is equipped with a white astronomy dome on the rooftop. They say that the skies outside of Portal are some of the darkest in the United States; combined with the typical lack of clouds, this is an astronomy haven.
Despite being situated within this small community, the Airbnb property feels sufficiently remote since the houses are well-separated. The house was perfect for our needs, with two large bedrooms and bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and even a washer and dryer for laundry. The bird feeders were a nice touch! Here is a photo from our porch. You can see one of the astronomy domes on a house in the distance.
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| Our view from the deck - Green Witch Airbnb, Portal, Cochise County, Arizona |
Within a few minutes of setting up the feeders, a group of Black-throated Sparrows, a Canyon Towhee, a Blue Grosbeak and several House Finches had discovered the food source. We enjoyed a cold beer on the deck as the sun set. A singing Crissal Thrasher was the last bird of the evening.
Due to the house's location in this astronomy community, we were a little concerned about setting up my moth light due to the potential interference that the light may have with the astronomers. However we were able to set it up in a corner of the property where it wouldn't be visible to any neighbours. And we had no complaints from anyone during our stay, so it all worked out.
We installed the light and headed out for an evening road cruise. Nikki stayed behind to enjoy a relaxed evening with a glass of wine and the jacuzzi tub.
Our first herp was just outside of our driveway; a Great Plains Toad.
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| Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
The Portal area is famous amongst herpers as snake diversity is very high both in the desert and in Cave Creek Canyon to the west. One of the main target species is the Green Ratsnake which barely makes it over the border from Mexico. We were hoping for our first Mojave Rattlesnake, a look-alike of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, as they seem to be one of the more common snakes here.
We quickly found our first snake of the night, and it was indeed a Mojave!
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| Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
Compared to the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, the Mojave often has more strongly-outlined "diamonds" on its back and occasionally a greenish tinge to the overall colouration, but the tail pattern is one of the best features to identify this species.
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| Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
The tail can be seen well in this image. Notice how it has mostly white, with narrow black rings. On Western Diamondbacks, the tail has a greater percentage of black.
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| Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
A little while later we found a couple of neonate Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes. Notice how the tails have more black compared to the Mojave Rattlesnake above.
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
Often, the baby rattlesnakes were pressed flat against the road surface, spreading their ribs out to maximize the area of contact with the road. Presumably they do this to extract as much heat as possible out of the asphalt.
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
Just over the border into New Mexico we found this road-killed rattlesnake. Its tail pattern seemed off for a Mojave and after doing some research I figured it was likely a hybrid Mojave Rattlesnake x Prairie Rattlesnake. Hybrids are well-documented between these closely related species, though most records are from just north of where we were. It was unfortunate that it was deceased as it would have been an interesting snake to see alive.
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| Mojave x Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus x viridis) - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
Several Couch's Spadefoot Toads appeared on the road, one in Arizona and another in New Mexico. This is another species that I have wanted to see ever since I was a kid. These toads have keratinized protrusions on their hind feet which assists them in digging through the loose soils in the desert. Spadefoot Toads remain underground for some of the year to avoid the driest and hottest conditions. After rains, hundreds are sometimes seen on roads. I was happy with the two that we found.
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| Couch's Spadefoot Toad (Scaphiopus couchii) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
Compared to "true toads" such as the American Toad (found where we live in Canada) and the Great Plains Toad, featured earlier in this post, the spadefoots have vertical pupils, they lack the parotoid gland (the big lumpy bit behind the eyes), and they have much smoother skin.
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| Couch's Spadefoot Toad (Scaphiopus couchii) - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
We observed several RLCs (rodent-like creatures) on the road. First up was this Desert Pocket Mouse that fortunately remained in view at the road's edge.
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| Desert Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
We also watched several Kangaroo Rats spring off of the road. One remained in sight just long enough for a single photo. Due to its facial markings and overall colouration, I think this one is Ord's Kangaroo Rat, but I could be wrong.
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| Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
Our final snake of the night was this young Mojave Rattlesnake on the New Mexico side of the border.
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| Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
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| Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
Upon returning to the house, Dan and I were pleasantly surprised to see that the moth light had drawn in quite a few species. Sleep was calling but we stayed up for an extra hour to photograph the haul. Having never mothed in the desert before, I wasn't sure what to expect and I had kept my expectations low.
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| Dark Marathyssa Moth (Marathyssa inficita) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Ponometia elegantula - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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Protoproutia rusticaria - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona
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Most of the moths were clad in grays and browns, likely to match their desert environs. We ended up with around 30 species of moths, plus several other spiders, antlions, beetles and leafhoppers. A great end to a fantastic day.
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| Parapheromia cassinoi - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Scotoleon sp. - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Heliocheilus toralis - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Zale insuda - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Checkered Melon Beetle (Paranapiacaba tricincta) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Wolfberry Loxostege Moth (Loxostege allectalis) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Ponometia libedis - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Physocyclus sp. - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Cream Grasshopper (Cibolacris parviceps) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Desertshrub spider (Diguetia sp.) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Dichagyris cataclivis - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Green Broomweed Looper Moth (Narraga fimetaria) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
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