I just encountered a grey fox running across Broadway Road in Tempe (my second fox sighting with a mile radius in the past 6 months) and it got me thinking of all the wild animals I've had the fortune of seeing on my many years of adventures. The fox in Tempe is probably the most unusual for its urban location, but others are memorable too.
Reptiles:
Western Diamondback
Black Tailed
Arizona Black
Speckled
Prairie
Mojave
Rock
Tiger
Twin-spotted
AZ Mountain Kingsnake
Gopher
Desert Tortoise
Gila Monster
Birds: Too many to list (plus I have no idea what most of them are. These are notable though.) Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Great Horned Owl
Condor
Turkey
It makes me realize that there are only a few creatures in this state that I haven't seen but would like to. I think
Ocelot
Chupacabra
Grey Wolf
Jaguar
What have you seen, or what is still on your wish list?
Last edited by chumley on Apr 29 2021 1:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
@JasonCleghorn
Right on! Will do. Had some interesting wildlife encounters on the trip last week as it turns out too. I'll have to share them here when I have more than a moment.
hippiepunkpirate wrote:it bolted into the desert as I fumbled in my pocket for my phone to take a pic
"It bolted into the <insert habitat here> as I fumbled in the pocket for my phone" is the story of my life, wildlife wise. I missed great pix of a mountain lion and a grizzly by just a second or two. Why won't the animals sit still!
Last night I saw a little burro dressed in red and white felt and reindeer antlers carrying saddlebag coolers of craft beer. Not as impressive as a mountain lion but pretty awesome considering the beer was free and cold.
Another javelina sighting yesterday afternoon. Apparently there are 5 adults and a youngster that like to hang out in our citrus grove and nibble on fallen fruit.
I saw around 20 coati on Slate Creek the day after Thanksgiving. They kept trying to stay in the trees and jump further and further down the line away. Closest I've been.
May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you; Armchair Crisis Design
My list is similar to Chumley, only I am missing any of AZ cat sightings but fresh tracks on occasion. And my rattle snake list is shorter. No one has mentioned Chuckwalla and I have seen Bison (AZ & Yellowstone) Also AZ mud turtle.
chumley wrote:I just encountered a grey fox running across Broadway Road in Tempe
I have seen a fox in the area also on several occasions. By the aquatic pond at the stadium and the canal S of Apache.
Told my buddies I saw a fox near ASU and only got "sure, sure, there are thousands of them there."
I saw a roadrunner and some doves and gambel's quail in my backyard the other day...the doves/quail seemed unconcerned about the presence of the roadrunner, so I guess that roadrunners don't eat doves/quail
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