TUCSON – DESERT ANIMALS

December, 2018 – January, 2019

Lions and Tigers and Bears?  Not quite, but Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Sand Hill Cranes, Mexican Jays, a thirsty Coatimundi, Red-Headed Woodpeckers, Harris and Ferruginous Hawks, a Scorpion, a Great Horned Owl, a couple of Chihuahuan Ravens, a Belted Kingfisher, Javelina, Prairie Dogs, Big Horn Sheep, an Arizona Thrush, a Lizard or 2, and a Roadrunner all seen during our time in Tucson.  Can I get an “OH MY” just the same?

During our hikes in the region we couldn’t help but notice signs warning us that we might cross paths with rattlesnakes.  But a rattlesnake-human encounter never did occur.  We figured that given this time of year the ‘rattlers and their Gila Monster cousins were hibernating deep underground.  We hope to have a not-so-close-but-encounter all the same sometime in the future.

A not-to-be missed attraction just south of the Tucson Mountain District entry into Saguaro National Park is the Sonoran Desert Museum.  The name is a misnomer however; this is not a museum but a wildlife preserve set amongst a saguaro desert biome.  As we entered the property we were greeted by a docent and her Harris Hawk.  What a magnificent raptor and terrific beginning to our visit!

The “museum” encompasses 21 acres and has over 2 miles of winding paths taking the visitor past various indigenous land animals.

There were several different types of Hummingbirds to observe at their indoor aviary.

If you pay close attention while walking along the paths, you’ll have the chance to see and hear an assortment of birds as well.

We enjoyed the presentation called Fur, Fangs and Feathers, which gave us an opportunity to see well-trained snake, skunk, porcupine and vulture up close and personal.  The trainers almost had us believing that these animals were cuddly, and would make fine pets.

Our day started early so we could see both the 10am and 2pm free-flying raptor shows – honestly don’t miss either.  The trainers have done a fantastic job of working with the birds.  Each show was quite different; the 10am show included trained pattern hunting by Ferruginous Hawks, a Great Horned Owl and Chihuahuan Raven, and the 2pm show was a display of “flock” hunting by Harris Hawks.  We were told to not raise anything above our heads as the birds might mistake that stray arm or child (some parents are pretty stupid) as prey.  Barbara was brought to tears at the beauty of the birds in flight, and the feeling of the wind as the birds did indeed come close to our heads.  Truly fabulous!

At 9,171 feet Mount Lemmon is the tallest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, and in wintertime the snow is consistently deep enough to keep the region’s lone ski slope open (complete with gondola ski lift!)  Never would have thought of Tucson as having enough snow nevertheless supporting a ski slope.  We drove to the ski lift parking lot and started our hike to the summit.  Along the way a Raptor and Belted Kingfisher were kind enough to pose to have their pictures taken.

Ever wonder where birds go when they go south for the winter?  Yeah, us too.  While we can’t answer for all avian species, we do know that upwards of 14,000 Sand Hill Cranes winter south of the town of Wilcox and just outside of Elfrida, Arizona in the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge.

We walked through some substantial muck out to the viewing area, and we were delighted to see maybe 500 or so Sand Hill Cranes near the shore of a pond.  It was glorious to see the cranes in flight, both coming and going from their “watering hole.”  The birds flew in the single file and “v” patterns we are accustomed to seeing with many bird species.  The County had installed binocular telescopes that helped us have a fantastic view of the birds “up close.”  But 500 birds is not the 14,000 as advertised.  While watching the birds we had a chance to have a conversation with another visitor to the Refuge, and we were asked as to whether or not we had visited a farmer’s field a little ways north and east of the Refuge?  Since that would be a big no, we mucked our way back to our car, and off to the farmer’s field we went.  You could hear the Cranes’ symphony well before seeing them.  And yes, there had to be 1,000s of Sand Hill Cranes strutting their stuff for our wonderment.  If you’re a birder (and you’re in the area) this is not to be missed.  In January, Wilcox hosts an annual special event called “Wings Over Wilcox” that might be worth a visit as well.

One last word on our adventure to see the Sand Hill Cranes.  We learned the hard way that the soil (i.e., muck) in this part of the world is a good part sticky clay that becomes bricklike when dried (wonder how the Native Americans and first settlers made their adobe homes?).  It took us 45 minutes with a high pressure hose to remove the dried dirt from the Jeep.  Lesson learned!

Tucson Botanical Gardens is a small but beautiful oasis in the heart of Tucson.  It is thoughtfully planned with small winding paths that allow visitors to leisurely stroll through a garden of local trees and ground cover, a zen garden, and a xeriscape garden filled with every imaginable succulent plant from around the world.  We were delighted to discover the Cox Butterfly and Orchid Pavilion, home to some amazing orchids that were just beginning to bloom, a wide variety of Butterflies and an Atlas Moth. We had to go through two doors to get into the Pavilion, always cautious that we didn’t inadvertently allow a Butterfly to escape. The room was small and it felt like we were in a sauna:  the perfect environment to produce exquisite orchids and to provide the ideal setting for so many different and colorful Butterflies that flitted in and around the plants and people.  Even though this blog is about animals we’re adding some pictures of the orchids just ‘cuz!

Gallery In The Sun is an off-the-beaten path art gallery on the west side of Tucson.  See if you can spot the Lizard in the photographs taken at this quaint shop.

Hiking up “A” Mountain, this Roadrunner was kind enough to stop a moment in its pursuit of lunch.

We drove into the Madera Canyon Recreation Area, and we chose the parking lot with the highest elevation to begin a hike along a slowly running stream.  The hike was perfectly lovely, traversing through a pine and hard wood forest speckled with succulents, using rocks to cross the stream 3 times before reaching the end point and turning around to head back.  We saw a different kind of bird that Barbara thought might just be a jay, and when asking some fellow hikers we found that it was a Mexican Jay.  We were disappointed that during the hike we only saw jays, and the tail end of a deer as it loped quickly away from us.

Heading out of the Canyon, we noticed an overflowing parking lot with lots of people, most with cameras, up against a split wood railing.  We had to stop and we were glad we did as this was an avian observation area.

While watching Jays and Woodpeckers, a Coatimundi sauntered across the compound, climbed up the fence and helped itself to the hummingbird feeder…it must have a taste for the sweet nectar.

Barbara and Brian