BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Animal Life The Geckos Are Out!

Ah, springtime in the desert is a miraculous occurrence. The Cati bloom, the Aloe Vera grows, and the unique desert wildlife emerges.

Stepping outside the door today I saw several geckos marching by on my concrete fence with great purpose in their stride.

Animal encounters one is likely to have in the desert would include the mighty gecko, coyotes, roadrunners, tarantulas, rattlesnakes and javelinas.

What animals are unique to your area?

I've seen tons of them too and some are so fat. Are they pregnant or just storing winter pounds (kind of like humans)?

I take pics of these guys all the time. I saw a very cool one on the trail a few weeks back that was turquoise and orange. Beautiful!

I have not seen any snakes yet but I'm sure we will at some point. We usually see bobcats in our neighborhood and javelinas too. Lots of colorful birds as well (not into birding so not sure what type they are).

In Colorado we saw lots of chipmunks and squirrels and tons of prairie dogs. Very fun to watch especially since we don't see that much here in the desert.

We have a woodchuck that is visiting our backyard. He's eating the Queen Anne's Lace tops. He's also a fabulous tree climber! Today, the chubby guy was 10 feet up the mulberry tree.

Our backyard pond attracts all kinds of wildlife.

Deb, I love the desert wildlife. Here in my area we have lizards of several varieties, rattlesnakes, marmots, squirrels, jack rabbits, cottontail, the quail which we all love so much, hawks, eagles, coyotes, mountain lions, sometimes a wandering black bear, and one very large bull snake, all living on the little mountain in my avatar - which is part of a range that stretches about 20 miles.

The bull snake is our "Legend of the Little Mountain". He is near to seven feet long, and quite big around. No one has ever got close enough to measure how big around he is. He seems quite content to just roam around and not bother anyone.

Oh wow ... a pond in the backyard! You must get hours of entertainment. When I tended my uncle's farm in Old Lyme, CT we would go off to see great-grandmother who had moved there. She had such a lovely wooded area and a pond. It was my job to tend to the racoons that would come visiting. I learned that if you supplied them with a treat regularly they would stop rummaging through garbage cans.

I later learned most folk don't care for the raccoon, which just made me sad, as I think they are mostly misunderstood.

The wildlife here in the desert is fascinating to watch. I know that scorpions are common in these parts. I learned that if you own cats it keeps them away. I've been here 5 years now and never once had to deal with a scorpion. They sell them in lollies here!

The geckos are simply fascinating to watch. Their colourful coats dashing along like they are constantly late for a meeting ... lol

The jackrabbits here are ENORMOUS matched only in size by their ears. Bugs Bunny would totally be jealous.

Woodchucks (prairie dogs) were one of my most favorite animals to watch in the midwest. They are industrious little buggers!

OMG ... and the strangest animal site here - 2 ducks believe it or not. They are not a common site here. However, each year these ducks come back and nest next to the owls in the farmer's irrigation ditch. I call them Sven and Ole from my MN days. LOL

Oh Wow Phyllis! Has anybody ever been able to get a photo of him? OMG I would so love to see that! And people in your area are contented to leave him alone? That is positively heartwarming!

Do you live by the Red Rock Canyon? I love that area. The wild burros come right up to you! I must admit it took me a minute to figure out how to interact with the unsolicited conversation they were clearly having with me.

Ah nature - it's such a hoot!

We've had a glorious time in this early summer heat. We have two African Sulcata tortoises in our backyard. They are ours. But, there are a pair of hawks that have been frequenting their water hole.
The hawks seem to be using our backyard as their dining room. They have graced us with bird feathers in our pool fence, bones in our backyard and the remnants of their dinners on the sport court light where they typically dine.
In addition to the hawks, we had a bird who built a nest over one of our outdoor lights. We taped the light off so no one would turn it on and overheat the eggs. We watched daily as the birds guarded their eggs and called out in distress whenever the hawks were near. The babies were born and soon flew off but their nest remains.
Currently, we have a hummingbird who has built a nest under our patio overhang. She built the nest on a hook where we used to hang the baby swings. She has been spending more time in the nest so I'm assuming there might be eggs or new babies in there. I'm hoping we get to see them. We've blocked off two of our outside doors so no one would disturb the nest building or egg laying.

Oh my that's a lot of babies! Do you get turkey vultures in your part of Arizona? They are everywhere around here.

There is a solo big owl, every years she's always alone. I think the neighborhood must be her "me" time ... lol

Then we have these teeny tiny owls, 2 couples, that show up in the irrigation ditch every year. They come back each year and I suspect they nest there. The males are constantly on guard. I watch them for hours and they watch me back. Respectfully approaching, and always keeping distance, they allow me to get quite close to their nesting area so long as I do not appear in a threatening manner. I'd say as close as 2 feet before they tell me to stop. I've been able to get some pretty stellar photos of them over the years. It takes me about an hour to walk ten feet ... lol

Roadrunners are skittish and it is tremendously difficult to get an in focus picture of them. The partridges are the same way.

I am always intrigued by how animals choose to allow interaction. Animals are fantastic for teaching respect. I find there is no better teacher.

I hope you are able to get photos of the new families. It would be awesome to see them!

I was just telling my brother at dinner that we just have to get up there and find that bull snake. I really want to get pictures. Apparently no one is too concerned about the big guy and just let him be at peace. He goes after the jack rabbits which are huge. There is such an abundance of rabbits up there that the snake has it made. We are going to have to give him a name since he has been there for so long.

If I do get pics I will certainly share them with you.

We are not far from Red Rock area -- but there is also a Red Rock Canyon down near Las Vegas. You might be thinking of that one.

We live in northern Nevada in the Reno area. The wild burros are further out in the desert, but are quite happy to come close and chat with people. We have mule deer all over the area. The wild horses here will usually come close enough to see if we have any apples or anything for them. We are not allowed to feed them. They are very healthy and quite strong for all the mountain climbing they do. They stay near the foothills where there are protective canyons and tons of grazing areas.

Until I can get a picture of our bull snake, here is a link to a pretty large one: Bull Snake

When threatened, they take on the behavior of a rattlesnake, even shaking their tail. They make a clicking sound with their mouth that sounds like a rattler. They are often mistaken for rattlers. The bull snake is very helpful in keeping down the rodent populations.