They truly are sentinels of the desert; on any given afternoon in Joshua Tree National Park,  you might see one surveying the landscape from atop a granite boulder.  In southwest Utah, they return to the canyons from the high country when the temperature starts to fall.  In the desert communities around Palm Springs, they illustrate the interaction between man and nature very well; bighorns have taken to eating ornamental cactus and other plants, so large fences have been erected to keep them out (which is ironic, because some people would pay to see a sheep!).

The interaction between humans and bighorns isn’t a recent thing, though.  In fact, humans have been interacting with them since the southwest was first settled, probably thousands of years ago.  If you take any interest in rock art at all, you’ll quickly find that bighorns were a ubiquitous subject of prehistoric artists.  Indeed, I wonder if the Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont peoples who lived with these animals found them just as captivating as we do today.

In some ways, the desert bighorn sheep embodies the spirit of the west: it is largely solitary, is resilient, and has shown a great ability to adapt to the desert environment.  Its a true steward of the ecosystems it thrives in.  The Desert Bighorn Council is a great resource to learn more about the biology and conservation of desert bighorn sheep (they list links to many local organizations as well).

Last week, a Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) turned up in my yard; it had been completely consumed by another predator (another hawk, I assume), leaving only the legs, wings, and tail feathers.  Before picking up the carcass, I made sure to make a few images of it.

Talons, July 2011

Flight pattern, July 2011

Common Poorwill I, May 2011

I assume the poorwills–which are ground-dwelling birds–roost on the roads for a clear view of the sky, and the insects they are hunting.  They fly upwards, grab their prey, and return to the ground fairly quickly.  They can also be quite tame, when approached by a car.  By getting out slowly and crawling on my belly with a short telephoto lens, I was able to get within about 7 feet of this poorwill before it flew away, letting me get a couple of intimate portraits.

One thing that’s evident here is the amazing camouflage these animals have–they blend in very well to their surroundings, making such an open roost probably quite safe.  In addition to that, you can see the large eyes (great night vision) and “feelers” around the mouth, to help locate prey in the very immediate vicinity.

With summer approaching, keep an eye out for these charming birds on the roads!

Common Poorwill II, May 2011

In Memoriam, May 2011

Its always somber to see road killed reptiles, but this was just the beginning.  Not five minutes later, we pulled a very badly injured (fatally, I’m sure) coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) off the road, and over the course of the evening, we found a gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer), and a red diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) that had been killed earlier in the day.  It was carnage–easy to see why–with cars whizzing by us at 50-60 mph (25-35 mph over the posted speed limit).

Accidents happen, especially with fast-moving snakes like gopher snakes or coachwhips–they can jump out in front of a driver, with no hope of being avoided.  But, as my friend pointed out, there is no excuse for killing a rattlesnake in a park where the speed limit is 25 or 35 miles per hour.  They’re visible animals, and when following the speed limit, they can be avoided, largely because they are slow-moving.

April and May is peak camping season in Joshua Tree–the campgrounds are full, and people are everywhere.  Right now, that time of day is suicide for a basking snake.

To make it worse, the red diamond rattlesnake we found later in the evening was missing its rattle.  I hate to think about someone hitting the animal purposely to take the rattle (although I know of people who have done just that)–its a despicable act.  Even if a later driver stopped to take it, I wouldn’t want to be that person if a park ranger came down the road!

I know I sound like a real square with this post, urging people to stick to the posted speed limit, but after what we witnessed this weekend in Joshua Tree, its obvious that slowing down could really help to save some beautiful wildlife from needless deaths.

Fast Forward, November 2010

Duplicity, November 2010

Click on the image above to see it big!

In some cultures, they are regarded as sinister or evil; one Romanian folk tale insists they were once a horse possessed by the devil.  Others will argue that the devil uses them to weigh peoples’ souls, and they are often associated with snakes, some saying they stitch snakes back together after they’ve been injured.  However, in other, primarily Native American cultures, they are associated with swiftness and activity, and in Navajo legends, they represent pure water.

Looking at one, its easy to see that a creature so bizarre, so beautiful, as a dragonfly would evoke such imaginative stories.  To me, they don’t evoke thoughts of evil demons or some sort of siren able to heal an injured snake.  To me, they represent change: summer turning to fall, days growing shorter, and leaves changing color.  Right now in southern California, the dragonflies are quite numerous near any body of water, especially ponds and marshes.

Black Saddlebags Dragonfly, Tramea lacerata, September 2010

Although they may have no inherent mystical qualities, dragonflies do carry the names of warriors, sorcerers, and wizards: Black Saddlebags, Variegated Meadowhawk, Western Pondhawk, Azure Hawker.  At least 20 species of dragonfly are found in southern California.  Recently, on a trip to a local wildlife area, a friend pointed out a species to me that has only been seen a handful of times in the whole state, and–we think–only once in our county: the Striped Saddlebags.

Striped Saddlebags, Tramea calverti, September 2010

In addition to just looking pretty cool, dragonflies have some pretty interesting behavior as well.  In the photo below, a Variegated Meadowhawk is displaying an obelisk behavior, where it orients its abdomen toward the sun, thereby minimizing contact with solar radiation, cooling itself.

Variegated Meadowhawk, Sympetrum corruptum, displaying obelisk behavior, September 2010

The green darners in the photo below are displaying part of their mating behavior: the male (on right) is holding the female to the water while she oviposits (lays eggs) on the submerged branch.  Presumably, he is also protecting her from other males while she lays eggs.  More properly, he is probably protecting his sperm, since other males could mate with her, “ousting” his sperm.

Common Green Darner Dragonfly, Anax junius, September 2010

In homage to the mythical Øyenstikker, I’ve updated all of my dragonfly species pages, and you can view all of them by clicking here to visit my miscellaneous animal page.

Lesser spot-nosed guenon (Cercopithecus petaurista), August 2010

Su Lin the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), August 2010

Of course, I can’t go to the zoo and just visit the charismatic megafauna.  Some of the lesser-visited attractions are some of the most pleasant for me.  One in particular I like is the exhibit on local (to southern California) rattlesnake species.

Speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus) August 2010

*As a technical note on the above photo, I handheld that with my 300/4 + 1.4x teleconverter and focused through glass.  The image was pretty sharp, but it did take some help in Photoshop to make it look presentable.

Finally, a visit to the hummingbird aviary was in order, before leaving the zoo for the day.

Hummingbird, August 2010

All in all, it was a pretty good day!  Even on a family-oriented trip to the zoo, there are many opportunities for photography available.  With so many opportunities, it is a good time to practice refining your skills with flash and exposure so when you’re in the field and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arises, you can draw on the knowledge you gained.

I gained an appreciation for kangaroo rats when I was helping one of my professors in graduate school trap Ord’s and Panamint kangaroo rats for a project he was working on.  When we released the animals, they would sit in our hands, almost not wanting to leave.  Indeed, it was hard to walk away from those big black eyes, and that cute face.

In southern California, we have several species of kangaroo rats, and they can be fun to photograph.  Near my home, the most common are the Dulzura (Dipodomys simulans) and the Stephen’s kangaroo rats (D. stephensi).

Dulzura Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys simulans), August 2010

Stephen's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys stephensi), July 2009

Yeah, I know, they look pretty much the same.  Most species of kangaroo rats do.  In fact, if an expert on these little creatures hadn’t confirmed their identity for me, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.  These photographs were taken less than one mile from each other; the Dulzura k-rats like rocky country, and the Stephen’s k-rats like open, grassy areas.  In fact, the chosen habitat of the Stephen’s kangaroo rat is probably partially responsible for the fact that its Federally-listed as an endangered species.

You see, open grassy areas are also the preferred habitat of housing developers.  As huge areas of land have been cleared for new housing in southern California, habitat is being taken away from these small creatures.  While some people had serious problems with the idea that a ‘rat’ was being protected by the Federal government, I hope you can see that this little creature is much more interesting and charming than your typical rat.  To see all of my Stephen’s kangaroo rat images, click here.  To see all of my Dulzura kangaroo rat images, click here.

If you venture further into the Mojave Desert toward Joshua Tree National Park, you’ll find the Merriam’s kangaroo rat (D. merriami).  Again, you’ll see there’s not much difference between this species and the other locals, but apparently enough genetic distance exists to warrant the creation of a new species.

Merriam's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami), November 2009

While photographing nocturnal creatures can take a bit of getting used to, and may take one or two tries until you figure out a system that works for you, the rewards are definitely worth it–fantastic photos of these charming little rodents!

Male Great Basin Collared Lizard, July 2010

The rich yellows and oranges on the legs, blue under the neck and black in the pelvic and pectoral areas are all characteristic of this species, and in my opinion, what makes it so beautiful.  The lizard above is a very accommodating male we found on the 49 Palms Oasis trail.  The females, however, are much less vibrant.

Female Great Basin Collared Lizard, July 2010

Despite her more drab appearance, I still like the subtle hues present, especially the orange markings on the lateral sides of her body.  After the breeding season, these orange markings will fade, leaving the females a brownish color.  What do they mean?  While its long been known that animals change color, plumage, etc during their breeding season, a 2004 study published in the journal Herpetologica suggests that in female collared lizards, the orange markings signal to males that she is sexually receptive.  On average, orange female collared lizards were courted 5 times more frequently by males than non-orange females.

Its always important to remember that things that may just appear pretty (or sometimes, even ugly) to us very often have a function in nature.

After photographing birds, reptiles and insects, we headed over to my secret bighorn sheep location in hopes of finding at least one species of charismatic megafauna.  My spot did not disappoint: within about 20 minutes, I spotted a bighorn sheep ewe high on a rock, overlooking the landscape.

The Sentinel, July 2010

The ewe let us walk closer to her, probably because (a) she had a good view of us, and (b) it was too hot for her to care.  Because of her cooperation, I was able to make closer images, especially using my friend’s 800mm lens.

Desert Bighorn Sheep, July 2010

After about 10 minutes, another sheep walked up to join the one we had been photographing.  I made a few more images, then left, so as to not stress them out too much–especially on a hot day!  To see all of my desert bighorn sheep images, click here.

The Sentinel's relief, July 2010