Recent Mountain Wildlife

Brian Johnson and I found two Sonoran Mountain Kingsnakes at Slate Creek Divide.  This is one of my favorite herps.  Freaking awesome.

Desert Grassland Whiptail at Slate Creek Divide

young Gopher Snake at Slate Creek Divide

The first ode I set out to photograph and identify.  The identification process was tough for me, but Justin Jones helped out with it.  This is a Springwater Dancer everybody.  Both males and females photographed.

My first Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake!  This one was in the Sierra Ancha Mountains very early in May.  After not seeing this species ever, I saw three individuals in May, with my first being in Sierra Anchas, and the other two being just twenty minutes apart from one another at Slate Creek Divide.  This one in the Sierra Anchas was most cooperative for photographs.

Yarrow's Spiny Lizard in Miller Canyon, Huachuca Mountains, May 4th, 2017

My First Time Really Looking at Odes

Odes are quite cool.  If you don't know what an ode is, they are dragonflies and damselflies.  Today I went out to Baseline and Meridian Wildlife Area near Phoenix in Maricopa County to look for these interesting creatures.  For my first try, I did pretty good.  Id's were confirmed by Caleb Strand, Justin Jones, and Pierre Deviche.

Rambur's Forktail

Blue Dasher

Desert Forktail

American Rubyspot (female: top, male: bottom)

Blue-ringed Dancer

Common Green Darner

Powdered Dancer

Kiowa Dancer

A Few Hassayampa Herps

Photographed at the Hassayampa River Preserve, May 20th, 2017

Desert Spiny Lizard

Zebra-tailed Lizard

Tiger Whiptail

Greenlee County Wildlife

Gordon Karre and I took this trip in mid-May, 2017.  It was a birding trip, but some awesome other wildlife was certainly seen on the side.  Here are some of the highlights that were able to be documented.

The best was a Black Bear running down Highway 191.  I managed to get this video clip before the Black Bear vanished.

Elk at KP Cienega Campground.

Bighorn Sheep in Clifton, Arizona

Clark's Spiny Lizard along the Gila River northwest of Duncan at Gila Box NCA

Tiger Whiptail along the Gila River northwest of Duncan at Gila Box NCA

Sonoran Spotted Whiptail, same location as Tiger Whiptail and Clark's Spiny Lizard