Arizona wildlife sightings

[chumley]

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.

Mammals:
Mountain Lion
Black Bear
Coatimundi
Javelina
Porcupine
Skunk
Grey Fox
Ringtail
Bobcat
Teva
Elk
Feral Horse
Burro
Bighorn Sheep
Fluffy sheep
Deer
Pronghorn
Raccoon
Otter
Beaver
Bison

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?

[Canyonram]

I posted this link in another thread but it looks like it belongs here as well.

The eBird website lists bird sightings for the World. Birders log-in with their sightings. Here’s the opening page for Arizona. Select a county, then select ‘hotspots.’

https://ebird.org/region/US-AZ/regions?yr=all&m=

Log in before your hike and check the county where you are going. Get an idea of a rare bird or one not on your list has been recently spotted.

[FOTG]

Someone posted a picture of a Rocky Mountain Bighorn near a climbing area not too far east of Camp Verde recently and although it was clearly a Rocky Mountain Bighorn, I was kind of doubting it. Then I ran across this article from 2019.

I have only seen the Rocky Mountain bighorns in the Blue Range and on Eagle Creek. I do not do much hiking on the Payson areas of the rim, but I am curious if anyone has seen any of the Rocky Mountain Bighorns in the area yet? Also I am guessing there is a 50/50 chance I am way behind on this and someone will point me to the forum where it was discussed, so flame away if so

"Since mid-November, 30 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep have been roaming their new home in East Clear Creek and Leonard Canyon. Arizona Game and Fish Department, with help from volunteers, relocated the sheep from Eagle Creek near the border of New Mexico to their current location."

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/lo ... 062262002/

[big_load]

although it was clearly a Rocky Mountain Bighorn

I'm not up to speed on distinguishing them from desert bighorns. What should I look for?

[LindaAnn]

@big_load This lists the differences;

https://bighorn.org/about-bighorns/

[FOTG]

@big_load
I think the most unscientific answer is probably size, I do remember the ones we saw along Eagle Creek were very stout and noticeably much larger than the desert variety. I am going to take a look at Linda's link though for sure.

[LindaAnn]

@friendofThundergod I think you’re right—The larger size of the Rocky Mtn Bighorn seems to be the most noticeable difference.

Also, Rocky Mtn Bighorns drive Subarus and have 14ers profiles; Desert Bighorns drive F150s and have HAZ profiles.

[Nighthiker]

Usually observe on the way to Bull Pen, look to your right.

[nonot]

Lower ECC / Leonard Canyon would seem to be a good home for a bighorn herd, but is not suitable during a sustained drought. During a drought, the water diversion of the Craigin reservoir would probably force that herd leave the area in search of actual reliable water (such as moving over into West Clear Creek or up to Craigin reservoir itself.)

I've seen plenty of bighorns in WCC "just east of Camp Verde", though I'm not sure if any were of the Rocky Mountain variety.

[chumley]

@nonot
Does SRP ever shut off the downstream flow into ECC from Cragin? Even earlier this summer with the water level as low as I can ever remember, there was still outflow going downstream. (A year or two ago they shut it off temporarily for pump maintenance as I recall, but not due to drought).

[nonot]

@chumley
While there is some water that seeps through the dam, which is what I think you are referring to in terms of "outflow going downstream", SRP is withdrawing water from the reservoir at all times they can (up to 35 cubic feet/second per published data.) To my knowledge there is no pump that delivers water into the downstream creek.

Not only is that withdrawal water never allowed to go down ECC (you can imagine what 35 cubic feet/second would look like), this has the secondary effect of generally not allowing the reservoir to ever overflow via the spillway since water diversion was approved/built, as far as I can tell.

The trickle that seeps through the dam itself is not enough to sustain a flowing east clear creek all along its entire length without replenishment via the spillway. That amount of trickle is even further reduced when the lake is drawn down so low, as it is now, where the withdrawals are not being replenished by rainfall. Thus the water relocation further diminishes ECC beyond just what the dam alone would do.

Anyway, the section of ECC @ Leonard is a dry sandy area with no water. once the spring thaw from Leonard (and other side canyons) finishes. There is virtually no water for miles in any direction, except for a few skunky pools in shaded corners that are spring thaw holdover. In drought years those pools would be expected to dry up completely (or be drunk by animals) due to being unable to be refilled via spillway floods.

If you look at this graph:
https://streamflow.watershedconnection.com/Home/Cragin

You can see that the reservoir has been prevented from overflowing for the entire period of data (looks like about a year, I can't find anything with longer term records), not even during the spring thaw did the reservoir even get anywhere close to being full (full is 15000 acre-feet).

[chumley]

(or be drunk by animals)

This is what we're discussing, right? Somehow there are thousands of elk, a healthy population of bear, deer, pronghorn, etc. that have seemed to find a way to survive (thrive?) between the rim and I-40, even during dry years.

[nonot]

@chumley
Yes, that was my original post. Nomadic animals need to move away from ECC to find water during drought years, which is why I am hypothesizing/suggesting the bighorn could have migrated over to WCC from ECC.

[hiking_arizona]

@nonot
At the bottom of the SRP managed dam they have a tiny garden variety spigot. They open it in the spring and close it in the fall per the SRP flow website to keep the creek from running totally dry.

Dam used to spill frequently after the winter melt per HAZ triplogs.

[The_Eagle]

ECC between Kinder and Horse Crossing has a flow in July prior to the rains.
There was also a flow from the dam 2 weeks ago that was impossible to cross without getting wet

[big_load]

Also, Rocky Mtn Bighorns drive Subarus and have 14ers profiles; Desert Bighorns drive F150s and have HAZ profiles.

So I'm mixed. I have a Subaru and 14ers profile, but I'm also less stout and I have a HAZ profile. No F150, though.

[LindaAnn]

@big_load I think, these days, you are allowed to identify as whatever you want.

Heck, two weeks ago, I saw a rattler that identified as a blacktailed up at 8500’ and I am still kind of confused about that…

[FOTG]

@big_load
I think that would make you a New Jersey Bighorn.

[chumley]

New Jersey identifies as The Garden State. And the Oranges definitely don't identify as Newark!

[big_load]

@big_load I think, these days, you are allowed to identify as whatever you want.

Heck, two weeks ago, I saw a rattler that identified as a blacktailed up at 8500’ and I am still kind of confused about that…

I've noticed that snakes often don't conform to societal expectations. That apparently goes way back.

I think that would make you a New Jersey Bighorn.

In New Jersey your horn can't be too big. The Irish Elk would have fit right in.

New Jersey identifies as The Garden State. And the Oranges definitely don't identify as Newark!

The Oranges surely see themselves as a step up, but it's a small step. But I must say, it still really is the Garden State around here. Wild raspberries ended just a couple weeks ago. Sadly I had to forego the nearly the last bunch because the bear wanted them worse than I did. I can't complain too much, because for whatever reason, there wasn't much competition for blueberries this year.

[Canyonram]

I'm not up to speed on distinguishing them from desert bighorns. What should I look for?

Size. Desert bighorn males can get up to 200 lbs whereas Rocky Mt. males can get up to 300+. Trophy hunters go after the Rocky Mt. because it has the more impressive rack to hang over your TV. Biggest reason it has been repatriated to Central Arizona. You can get an idea by watching these hunting videos and make a note of the size of the animal against the environment.

Here's the Rocky Mountain in AZ. This is a hunting video so go to 11 minute mark after the kill: [ youtube video ]

Here's the Desert Bighorn in AZ: Thisi is also a hunting vided so go to 13:30 after the kill [ youtube video ]