Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Wildlife on the Mogollon Rim

I just got back from an awesome camping trip on the Mogollon Rim in Arizona.  I've never seen so much wildlife on one trip.  My camera doesn't have great zoom, and of course I didn't have it out when we saw the elk close-up, but here's a little bit of wildlife spotting for you.

You'll have to zoom in on this one, but there are 4 wild turkeys there!
A huge horned toad--like a little dinosaur--and so calm I got to pet it before it ran away.
Wild horses (not WILD horses, since they didn't seem to care we were this close).
Tracks of homo sapiens
Zoom in again and count the deer.  They're not even all in the frame!

Other wildlife seen:
-elk (4 close-up, 5 on an opposite slope)
-a golden eagle (I think)
-a BALD eagle (quite rare in Arizona as far as I know)
-a bird of some sort flying along the edge of Black Canyon Lake with a fish actually in its mouth
-more deer than pictured above.  I saw singles or sets 4 times.  Also, another turkey and three more horned toads in different places, ranging from tiny to huge.
-a whole bundle of fish caught by a fisherman, plus a bunch plopping in the water
-two little birds chasing a big squirrel down a tree.  Various other squirrels and chipmunks and birds and tiny butterflies and spiders and a darling bright yellow inchworm about a quarter of an inch long.

As I said, it was AWESOME.  I feel so blessed.    





2 comments:

  1. Make no mistake, those horses are part of the Heber Wild Horse Herd. The herd is in danger of roundup and removal by the US Forest Service. We are working to preserve the herd and protect them from roundup.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Make no mistake, those horses are part of the Heber Wild Horse Herd. The herd is in danger of roundup and removal by the US Forest Service. We are working to preserve the herd and protect them from roundup.

    ReplyDelete