Tucson Wildlife; Always Exciting!

It's amazing the different wildlife you'll see on a typical day in Tucson. Just going out for a walk in the early morning gives you the opportunity to see so many different types of native animals. The local wildlife really seem to like our backyard in particular. Every year we have at least one family of quail living in a planter, and we currently have a rabbit making its home in another. Our yard also attracts lots of butterflies and hummingbirds. We have a LOT of landscape plants and a couple of waterfalls so the environment seems to attract all the desert critters, good and bad. This past Fourth of July we were walking home from viewing fireworks and spotted something running out of our courtyard. As we got closer we counted 14, YES 14 javalinas racing away after quenching their thirst in our front pond. Javelinas can be very aggressive, especially when they are with their young. Needless to say I now keep our courtyard gate closed!

This year was also exciting as we had a bobcat family make their home in our back side yard. Our planter was dense with Rosemary plants and other assorted vegetation so it made the perfect cover for their little den. Considering we had some extremely heavy rains, and they stayed under cover through the storms, I'm assuming that Rosemary plant is some strong stuff! Anyway, it was really difficult to get close to them; mommy was very protective and would growl fiercely when we came into view. I did get this picture out my back window as mommy was nursing in the early morning. The picture isn't very clear but there are 3 babies, and they were ADORABLE! Our morning entertainment consisted of peaking out the windows and watching the kittens as they explored the world. At one point they wanted to try out their climbing skills so they would claw their way up our stucco chimney. It was a very sad day when they learned to climb up and over the wall and disappear into the desert forever.

As I said before we always have quail in the yard. Usually they lay their eggs somewhere elevated off the ground so that predators can't reach them. This Spring a family of eggs were located in a potted plant on our patio. We watched daily as mommy quail sat on her nest, guarding her young from pack rats, snakes and other birds. When they finally did hatch, they weren't around very long. We saw them trotting down the street, single file as they looked for another home.

The "bad" critters I mentioned include a few pests that I could not get pictures of because they seem to only lurk at night. Packs rats can be a problem, as they leave little holes all over in a nicely landscaped front yard, spitting dirt onto clean sidewalks as the dig furiously. Still I'm an animal lover and they are cute, so I generally let them slide. Black Widows on the other hand, I dispose of as soon as I spot them. Black Widows love our yard for the same reason as the "nice" critters do, the waterfalls have lots of stone crevices for hiding. It's always a good reason to have a trusting relationship with a local exterminating company!

As you can see the desert is an exciting place full of interesting animals if you know where to look!