Aransas Bay contains a number of barrier islands, which are full of wildlife, such as Whooping Cranes.
Well, they also contain coyotes!
How do the coyotes get there???
Apparently they swim!
Honestly, how many people have seen a coyote swimming???
Our boat captain didn't seem to think it was that big a deal... I guess swimming comes naturally to coyotes in Aransas Bay.
Terra Firma!
Time to shake off the water after a long Coyote-Paddle.
Photographed in January of this year.
White-tailed Deer roam freely on Goose Island, near Rockport, Texas:
Here is a young buck, with an older one in the background:
After a very successful morning birding at South Padre Island, my birding friends and I drove to nearby Laguna Atascosa.
An armadillo greeted us in the parking lot.
We were disappointed to see very few birds. The visitor center was closed, with no food in the bird feeders, so the typical feeder birds were not present.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew in and took a drink from the small pond, and was probably equally disappointed not to see the feeder birds!
This Little Blue Heron hunted in the nearby bay:
Photographed in January of this year.
I may have a few more (non-Day-of-the-Dead) pictures from Mexico City to share later.
Back to wildlife, for a few posts, and then some professional tennis photos to come!
In September of this year I visited the San Jacinto Wildlife Area near Hemet, California, just before sunset.
Some days I see a multitude of birds there, other times fewer.
As I drove in, I did not see many birds, so was content to take a short walk around some of the ponds there, not expecting much.
This short walk proved surprisingly productive, but not just for birds!
I lay on my belly to photograph this striped skunk. Fortunately it made a left turn before crossing my path!
This Common Raccoon was surprised to see me, and stood upright before making a quick U-turn on its evening stroll:
A juvenile night-heron:
Great Horned Owl:
A Black Phoebe uses the remaining light to catch a few more insects:
A bobcat, very sedate in the late afternoon.
Photographed last month along Cañada Larga Road near Ventura, California.
More photos from August, 2017.
The Mearn's Squirrel is a subspecies of the Douglas's Squirrel, and is found only in Northern Baja California. It may be endangered.
Here is one in San Pedro Mártir National Park near one of the watering troughs at Aguaje del Burro.
A Coyote:
Another:
Western Bluebird:
There were no canyons nearby, yet this Canyon Wren approached, preceded by its beautiful descending song:
A female Black-headed Grosbeak:
White-breasted Nuthatch:
Orange-crowned Warbler:
Pine Siskin:
Dark-eyed Junco:
Rufous Hummingbird:
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Driving within San Pedro Mártir in August of this year, I said "I saw a bobcat right about here when I was here before."
Just as the words came out of my mouth, a bobcat appeared!
Here is the bobcat, photographed on August 27 of this year:
Here is a bobcat (I don't think it's the same one), photographed on August 26, 2117:
Meling Ranch is one of my favorite places in Baja California. It is a peaceful and quiet ranch on the highway to San Pedro Mártir National Park.
It is home to plenty of wildlife, including the Black-tailed Jackrabbit, photographed in August of this year:
This rabbit is NOT going to win at hide-and-seek!
A White-tailed Deer, photographed somewhere between Lake Metigoshe and Minot, North Dakota, in June of this year.
A coyote looks for its last meal of the day.
Photographed near the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in July of this year.
