Garden Visitors

[amh]

12 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

This thing has the look of a serial killer....  do not try to pet it!  

Its a marsupial; they all have that look.

[amh]

Cophosaurus texanus are fairly common in the rocky areas of Texas, but the highest concentration I have seen were at Pedernales Falls State Park.

The Eastern collard lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, is another well represented species at the park.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, amh said:

 

The Eastern collard lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, is another well represented species at the park.

Range of these extends to about Kingman, AZ. Supposedly can be seen up at South Mountain, closer to the house but have never encountered any there. Also present in the Superstitions, possibly on the Arboretum grounds ( Range covers the area, but no Inat observations noted ), and down around Tucson.

[greysrigging]

On 4/16/2021 at 1:47 AM, tropicbreeze said:

I've never kept either species but the Darwin Carpets in the wild seem pretty placid, not disturbed by the presence of people. I understand they're fairly popular in captivity and I've never heard of problems with them.

The Childrens seem very defensive in the wild, and very tempermental. The only time I've been really bitten by a snake was one of these I got out of an airconditioning unit. But it was small enough to not cause any real damage. I know people who have kept them and they say provided you handle them regularly they are really good natured.

Same here, only time I've been bitten was by a small Childrens Python.  My yougest son and I lifted up a piece of corrugated iron, and the snake bit me on the toe and drew blood....I did the John Travolta 'Saturday Night Fever'  dance, much to the amusement of my then 14 year old, who then uttered the immortal line, "Dad, you squealed like a girl...." I sure did, from where I was, that small Children's Python looked like a bloody great King Brown !

[Looking Glass]

This situation was getting out of hand, so I had to step in to return order to the garden!  Always over a lady....

 

They alway choose violence.....

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Looking Glass
Apparently I haven’t mastered uploading videos yet!

[JohnAndSancho]

She wants Sancho's food. 

[Darold Petty]

 

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

 

I'm sure you saw this story also..
https://people.com/pets/dogs-chase-bear-out-of-house-pasadena-california-video/

[Silas_Sancona]

Somewhat photograph tolerant ( for a moment ) Male Side blotched Lizard, Uta stansburiana. Out in the desert, east of Florence, AZ. As pleasant as it was out there yesterday, surprised i wasn't seeing more activity reptile-wise, esp. snakes/ rattlers.




 

[Silas_Sancona]

Decided to do some " Lizard Fishing " today to get close up of my resident Ornate Tree Lizards, Urosaurus ornatus that inhabit the block walls around the yard.  After a few attempts ( and switching out out Cat Gut from an old shell necklace i'd had for Dental Floss ) Managed to noose one of the 5 or so females, and one of the males out there. Still trying to capture /photograph what i believe is the dominant male in the yard ( has more Orange on his throat patch < Dewlap > compared to the other male i was able to catch )

As mentioned awhile back, the species has one of the shortest lifespans among Phrynosomatid Lizards.. roughly 3 or so years. Throat colors on males can have several different color combinations and this can influence breeding success and degree of territory occupied.

While most specimens exhibit the same -or very similar- coloration here in AZ, and thru most of the species range, north of Mexico, specimens just south of the border in Sonora ( males ) can be quite colorful, appearing to be an entirely separate species when observed.

With the success of using dental floss for the " noose ", might have to make a quick trip out into the desert to get some more close ups. **BTW, when done properly, no harm is done to the animals when snared*** Simply carefully loosen the noose, while handling, and release when finished observing. Lizards caught earlier are happily back at their perching spots on the wall.

Female:








Greenish-throated Male:

Edited May 1, 2021 by Silas_Sancona

[Silas_Sancona]

Orange - throated male, after a bit of a chase before capturing..

[sandgroper]

On 5/2/2021 at 7:50 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

Orange - throated male, after a bit of a chase before capturing..

Beautiful little dragons mate!

[JohnAndSancho]

The poses 

[Silas_Sancona]

13 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

The poses 

That's a lizard for ya..

There are only a few ways to correctly handle them when photographing, w/ out causing injury / further stress.  Many times when you flip them on their back in hand, they'll take a nap or at least be more relaxed. You're also less likely to get bit which typically isn't a big deal w/ little guys. Potentially more dangerous ( and painful ) with bigger or more aggressive species.

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, sandgroper said:

Beautiful little dragons mate!

  May make a morning trip into the hills east of me in the next week or so to try and noose/ photograph a few other species while i have the opportunity to.. specifically, our local Earless Lizard, 1 ( or 2 ) sp. of our local Horned Lizard ( ranges overlap in that area ) Desert Spiny,  Zebra Tails,  and Eastern Collard Lizards, our -smaller- version of a Frilled Lizard ( can run on their hind legs ), just w/ out the frill, and much more colorful ( but just as feisty/ snappy when captured. Bite can be painful too ) Handsome lizard though.

[sandgroper]

44 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

  May make a morning trip into the hills east of me in the next week or so to try and noose/ photograph a few other species while i have the opportunity to.. specifically, our local Earless Lizard, 1 ( or 2 ) sp. of our local Horned Lizard ( ranges overlap in that area ) Desert Spiny,  Zebra Tails,  and Eastern Collard Lizards, our -smaller- version of a Frilled Lizard ( can run on their hind legs ), just w/ out the frill, and much more colorful ( but just as feisty/ snappy when captured. Bite can be painful too ) Handsome lizard though.

Look forward to seeing the pics mate, I love reptiles, they're great! We're heading into the cooler months here so it's the wrong time of year to regularly find reptiles but in 4 months I'll take a few pics of our local reptiles, we have some great little creatures around here and they're quite common so easy to find. 

[Silas_Sancona]

50 minutes ago, sandgroper said:

Look forward to seeing the pics mate, I love reptiles, they're great! We're heading into the cooler months here so it's the wrong time of year to regularly find reptiles but in 4 months I'll take a few pics of our local reptiles, we have some great little creatures around here and they're quite common so easy to find. 

We'll see what i find..

Lots of neat things there in Australia.. You could tell the venomous snakes there to take a hint from our Rattlesnakes though, ..At least warn people you're not to be messed with, -at all-.. lol. 

Amazes me how calm people over there seem to be each time i see a news report about someone finding a Brown Snake in their house/ yard. A lot of people here will freak out when a 12" Garter snake slithers by, lol.

[sandgroper]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

We'll see what i find..

Lots of neat things there in Australia.. You could tell the venomous snakes there to take a hint from our Rattlesnakes though, ..At least warn people you're not to be messed with, -at all-.. lol. 

Amazes me how calm people over there seem to be each time i see a news report about someone finding a Brown Snake in their house/ yard. A lot of people here will freak out when a 12" Garter snake slithers by, lol.

There's plenty of people here that freak out about snakes too but I grew up in the bush so it was common to have goannas and snakes around the place so I suppose you don't worry about them too much, they leave you alone. 

[JohnAndSancho]

8 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

That's a lizard for ya..

There are only a few ways to correctly handle them when photographing, w/ out causing injury / further stress.  Many times when you flip them on their back in hand, they'll take a nap or at least be more relaxed. You're also less likely to get bit which typically isn't a big deal w/ little guys. Potentially more dangerous ( and painful ) with bigger or more aggressive species.

I used to catch them and keep them as pets when I was a kid. We had something really similar to your blue bellied guys, except ours were more gray. And the anoles. And 5 line skinks. 

 

One got out of his terrarium and I couldn't find him for days. My mom was changing the sheets on her bed and found a very dead, very dried up lizard and that was pretty much the end of that lol. 

[Silas_Sancona]

5 hours ago, sandgroper said:

There's plenty of people here that freak out about snakes too but I grew up in the bush so it was common to have goannas and snakes around the place so I suppose you don't worry about them too much, they leave you alone. 

Right, just like here in the states imagine it is people living in cities who have had very few / no regular encounters w/ bigger or more dangerous reptiles who might be more afraid of them vs anyone who has grown up around them and understands their nature / how to interact w/ them. Still not sure how calm i'd stay if a Taipan were somewhere in my yard though.

As mentioned before, whats sad is here in Arizona, a lot of people fear Gila Monsters.. If there is one venomous reptile you don't have to be afraid of, it's them. While they might hiss or gape, Very slow moving and will escape rather than confront.  You really have to harass them before they'll try to bite. Still, you hear about people purposely killing them for no reason.

3 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I used to catch them and keep them as pets when I was a kid. We had something really similar to your blue bellied guys, except ours were more gray. And the anoles. And 5 line skinks. 

 

One got out of his terrarium and I couldn't find him for days. My mom was changing the sheets on her bed and found a very dead, very dried up lizard and that was pretty much the end of that lol. 

Have kept my fare share of snakes, frogs/toads, and lizards and have plenty of those " where did you go " / " Come get your frogs out of the bathroom / Snake out of the kitchen " stories, lol My mom still remembers the time i gave her a " present " while still half asleep. ( mummified toad my uncle and i had found behind the clothes dryer when he came to fix it ) I was 5. She learned early what to expect, lol!!

[Fusca]

We experienced about 7" of rain in 3 days here after only getting 2 or 3 since January.  Heard the doorbell ring and answered the door on Saturday and found this little guy on my 'welcome mat' looking up at me as if to say "HELP ME!" or maybe wanted my cockatiel to come out and play in the rain! 

Actually the doorbell didn't ring, I made that up.

 

[amh]

5 hours ago, Fusca said:

We experienced about 7" of rain in 3 days here after only getting 2 or 3 since January.  Heard the doorbell ring and answered the door on Saturday and found this little guy on my 'welcome mat' looking up at me as if to say "HELP ME!" or maybe wanted my cockatiel to come out and play in the rain! 

Actually the doorbell didn't ring, I made that up.

 

Any identification? Kinda reminds me of a cardinal fledgling, but looks too big.

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, amh said:

Any identification? Kinda reminds me of a cardinal fledgling, but looks too big.

Not sure what bird he is - hadn't noticed any nests in my live oaks.  There's always doves hanging around but don't know what they look like as miniatures.  This one looks to be just a bit early to be out of the nest but he can flap around.  Hope he made it.

[amh]

3 hours ago, Fusca said:

Not sure what bird he is - hadn't noticed any nests in my live oaks.  There's always doves hanging around but don't know what they look like as miniatures.  This one looks to be just a bit early to be out of the nest but he can flap around.  Hope he made it.

The parents were probably near by, the biggest threats would be cats or hypothermia.

[amh]

The cardinals go through a Larry David phase, but the parents are always near by.

[Marie Nock]

Give the video a few seconds before there's action...

 

[Cindy Adair]

Hi Marie!

Love the video-the fox and the plants!

I remember eating a delicious lunch at the table in your video.

This is one of my favorite PT topics! Thanks everyone!

[amh]

2 hours ago, Marie Nock said:

Give the video a few seconds before there's action...

Wonderful capture, the grays like tomatoes as well.

[Silas_Sancona]

" Chick " Season in full effect here as well..  This time, a near completely fledged Toxostoma curvirosrtre, Curve- Billed Thrasher that took a detour through the yard a couple hours ago. Much like Mockingbirds, and most Jays, mom and dad were not thrilled with having to watch me rescue baby bird from stumbling thru some cacti and a curious Basenji. Both even came onto the Patio, complaining the whole way ( and trying to dive bomb the dog, who'd shoo them off to the block wall. )

After a few pictures, allowing that curious basenji sniff out what all the chaos was about, and putting it up on the wall, baby bird and parents moved on to somewhere else.







Mom? ( or dad? ) watching what the dog is doing after i put baby bird back up on the wall )

[Silas_Sancona]

...Aliens i tell ya!, 'Thurr be Aliens amung us'    ..Good crop of 'em this year too.



 

[Silas_Sancona]

On 4/12/2021 at 7:57 PM, Hillizard said:

I'd also like to see jaguar, wolf and mountain lion populations increase, which is easy for me to advocate since I live in the suburbs and don't raise cattle or sheep!

Our agreed thoughts on this may occur sooner than anticipated. Need to find and sign this petition.. Sooner, the better!   Add Ocelots to the re-introduction list ( for Arizona and New Mexico ) while you're at it as well
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jaguars-could-be-released-in-us-after-they-vanished-some-50-years-ago/ar-BB1gKrpQ?li=BBnbfcL
 

[Reyes Vargas]

There is a very small population of ocelot in the RGV that the U.S. parks and wildlife is trying to save.  I'm pretty sure it's them but dont quote me on that.  Point is someone is.  They are trying their hardest by buying up hundreds of acres of land and converting it to natural habitat every year.  It's hard since even today a lot of acres of wooded land is being torn down either for farmland or to build subdivisions.  They are also building pass throughs under busy roads so that they can cross safely.  One of the game cameras actually caught an ocelot actually using one of these pass through which is awsome.  They should absolutely reintroduce species that used to be here.

[Silas_Sancona]

Walk out back and what do i see,  the rare appearance of a young ( assuming ) Greater Roadrunner ( Geococcyx californicus ) staring down at me..











Only the second time in 5 years i have caught sight of one roosting up in the Mesquite.

[RyManUtah]

My most reliable visitors. Lizards are now residents. Unclear on the bees. I’ve seen at least 4 species of bee. More updates when I can “catch” them. 
 

[Zeeth]

Green orchid bee pollinating my Encyclia pyriformis x tampensis. You can see the pollinia on his head in one of the pictures. 

[Silas_Sancona]

Ol' Diamond Tail ( Corvus corax.. most likely.. The Chihuahuan subspecies turns up here every so often as well ) making an appearance overhead earlier. Usually something you see when out in the desert, especially where there are lots of rock outcrops / cliffs but a pair or two seem at home in suburban Chandler, though they usually take a break from " city life " during the summer.

[amh]

17 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Ol' Diamond Tail ( Corvus corax.. most likely.. The Chihuahuan subspecies turns up here every so often as well ) making an appearance overhead earlier. Usually something you see when out in the desert, especially where there are lots of rock outcrops / cliffs but a pair or two seem at home in suburban Chandler, though they usually take a break from " city life " during the summer.

Very cool.

I'm not sure of the subspecies, but they sure were vocal.

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, amh said:

Very cool.

I'm not sure of the subspecies, but they sure were vocal.

The ones that hang around town are quite talkative as well..  Have seen them sitting atop street/ traffic lights squawking at each other. 

[amh]

Just now, Silas_Sancona said:

The ones that hang around town are quite talkative as well..  Have seen them sitting atop street/ traffic lights squawking at each other. 

I probably have the same subspecies, but I'm east enough that they could be something else.

The funny thing is that they are fairly friendly towards people.

[Silas_Sancona]

7 minutes ago, amh said:

I probably have the same subspecies, but I'm east enough that they could be something else.

The funny thing is that they are fairly friendly towards people.

Here's the iNat map for the Chihuahuan Raven..  Looks like both occur there, and down by Tucson, w/ the Chihuahuan straying up this way, at least at this point ( may be expanding it's territory more ).
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/8003-Corvus-cryptoleucus

They're very intelligent for sure.. Just don't cross them the wrong way, lol
https://qz.com/1000035/when-you-cross-a-raven-the-bird-will-hold-a-grudge/