Gray Fox encounter near Death Valley NP

This is what happens when people drive to fast in the Desert at night.

Urocyon Cinereoargenteus

I came upon this Gray Fox just outside of Death Valley NP on the highway between Furnace Creek and Death Valley Junction. Someone had run over it. The Gray Fox is nocturnal or crepuscular and dens in appropriated burrows during the day. Crepuscular means active during dawn and dusk. Nocturnal means active during the night. Driving slower at night will give these critters more time to react. I know that animals will always be killed on the highway by vehicles. But slowing down will help keep the populations of these guys healthier.

The tracks of a Gray Fox.

The fur of the Gray Fox is beautiful!

This photo captures some of the lower reddish coloration of the belly area.

The tooth is a canine from the Gray Fox.

The penny is for scale.

Gray Fox are the only Foxes that climb trees. The claws are designed for climbing.

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah 11-7-2010

Roadrunner at Death Valley 11/11/2010

Yesterday, I was in Death Valley at the Furnace Creek Inn. All the sudden a Roadrunner was standing 6 feet from me. It didn't seem bothered by my presents. I started taking photos as it made its way toward a hedge with a drop-off on the other side. I stuck my camera through the hedge and got some really close photos of the Roadrunner. I'm lucky I didn't lose a finger.

This photo is one of the first ones I took when the Roadrunner appeared.

The next two photos were taken through the hedge.

Facts about Roadrunners

Geococcyx californianus

• Roadrunners can run up to 17 miles per hour
• The Roadrunner is also known as the Chapparral Cock
• Roadrunners are a part of the Cuckoo family
• The Roadrunner's nasal gland eliminates excess salt, instead of using the urinary tract, like most other birds
• The roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico
• The Roadrunner prefers walking or running places, and they rarely fly. If they do fly it's for short distances
• The Roadrunner is very adaptable and can control its own body temperature
• The Roadrunner is non-migratory

Click on the title "Roadrunner" below and you will be able to watch the video in full detail.

Tarantula Update

As you know, Bryan and I caught a Tarantula out in the desert on October 30th, 2010. Several days after we caught it I fed it a cricket. When I dropped the cricket in the cage it scared the Tarantula and it ran for cover. Then slowly it started to stalk the cricket until finally it snuck up close enough to pounce on the cricket.

They say that Tarantulas only eat about 6 crickets a month. Today I caught a big green grass-hopper out in the back yard. The Tarantula came after it quickly but when it tried to pounce on the grass-hopper, it kicked the Tarantula as it jump away. The startled Tarantula ran for its shelter. The big back legs of the grass-hopper are very powerful.

Throughout the day the same scenario would occur and the Tarantula would run away. Sometime this evening I looked into the cage and the Tarantula finally had the grass-hopper. I wish I would have seen the attack. It was interesting watching the Tarantula stealthily sneak up on the grass-hopper. It is also interesting watching the Tarantula's personality come to life.

Great Weekend of November 6 & 7, 2010

Zion National Park, Utah

Over the weekend, I climbed Angel's Landing in Zion National Park in Utah. This is a photo of me in Refrigerator Canyon on the way up. I was with my family and my son Bryan spotted a Jerusalem Cricket on the trail. Another one for eagle-eyes Bryan! I had walked over it (lucky I didn't step on it) and from behind me I heard Bryan say, "look, there's a giant bee on the ground".

As I glanced down at it I could see immediately that it was a Jerusalem Cricket. All of the photo's here were taken by me or my family.

Here is the guy! The latin name is Stenopelmatus Fuscus. He has many common names like Potato Bug, Red Skull Bug, and Child of the Earth.

Here is a photo with a penny to show scale.

Isn't that an alien looking head?

They are not poisonous but they bite hard. They eat roots and organic material. They stay underground a lot of the time.

This is a photo from up on the top of Angel's Landing. Zion valley is so beautiful.

This is from the top looking down on the Temple of Sinawava.

Caution sign at beginning of steep section of trail.

Gymnogyps Californianus - California Condor

While we were climbing the last 500 feet a California Condor was circling around Angel's Landing. Here are two photos that I took. California Condor's have the longest wing span in North America. It is 9.5 feet. I realize that these photos aren't very good but it is the best I could do.

It flew right over the top of me but I couldn't get the camera in time to get a shot. It landed in a tree right by a hiker and he told me later that the number on the Condor's tag was #52.

It was so fun watching that Condor soar with the air currents in the canyon.

In the 1980's there was only about 20 condors left on the planet. Through a good captive breeding program we now have somewhere between 300 and 400 condors.

On the way out of Zion Canyon we saw this big four-point buck Mule Deer right off of the highway.

The fall colors were absolutely beautiful! This photo is looking down into the bottom of Refrigerator Canyon.

Fall leaves in Refrigerator Canyon.

The Family on top of Angel's Landing.

From the right: me, Sierra, Denalee, Azure, And Bryan.

I finally strike out!

This photo taken October 28, 2010

Today, November 4th, 2010, I finally completely struck out and was unable to locate Desert Bighorn Sheep on the way to and from the Hoover Dam Tour as well as at Hemenway Park in Boulder City on my afternoon tour. However, this morning we saw 8 to 12 just passed the Hacienda on the left side of the road on the way to the dam. Oh well, it's that time of year.

It's Autumn . . . . .it's Tarantula time!

Bryan and I came upon this guy out at Christmas Tree Pass area on October 30th, 2010. A nice, healthy male.

A close-up of the last photo.

Tarantulas can bite but almost never do. Using gloves is always a good idea. The bite is poisonous to small animals and insects but about like a bee sting to humans.

Males are always on the move (looking for females to mate with) so you have to be careful so that they don't walk off of your hands and fall to the ground. A ruptured abdomen would kill the Tarantula. Females are not so active.

A macro photo of the Tarantula.

The abdomen of a Tarantula has urticating hairs that they scrap off with their back legs into the face of an aggressive predator. The hairs are barbed and very irritating if they get into the predators eyes our nasal cavity.

Always wash your hands after handling a Tarantula so that you don't transfer some of the hairs into your eyes.

Definitions of urtication:
noun: a sensation of having been stung by nettles
noun: an itchy skin eruption characterized by weals with pale interiors and well-defined red margins; usually the result of an allergic response to insect bites or food or drugs.

Definition of weal:
noun: a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions.Definitions provided by Rhymezone
A Funny Tarantula StoryWhen I was a kid of about 12 or 13, we found a Tarantula out in the Utah desert and brought it home. I kept it in a jar for a few days and my Dad finally told me to turn it free before it died. We should have taken it back out to the desert but I took it across the street and let it go in a plowed field. Several days went by and we forgot about the Tarantula, then, one Saturday afternoon I was out in the yard and all of the sudden our neighbor across the street, Mrs Johnson, started screaming bloody murder. The Tarantula had crawled into her yard and was climbing up her back screen door. She was trying to squish it with a broom.Her husband rescued the poor thing and let it go in a safer place. We quietly watched from afar not wanting her to know who was the source of her great distress. We were lucky she didn't have a heart attack!

Looking for Tarantula at Christmas tree Pass.
Ouch!!! Risks of the terrain.
Tip: keep a hair comb handy to pop the cactus out and away from your skin so that you don't have to grab it and take the risk of sticking it in your fingers.