I treat badgers like I treat rattlesnakes: carefully and with respect.
Pretty little ball of energy. Does anyone know what kind of hummingbird this is?
Rufous hummingbird? That orange! When it turned its (his?) head even slightly away, that glittering orange completely disappeared.
Did someone mention rattlesnakes? … Carefully … and with respect. 🙂
Not all from the same day or same areas of Disappointment Valley.
In big news: We’ve had rain! Finally, Mother Nature is shedding some tears of pity over us, and Tuesday night, there was (I think) pretty widespread rain over the valley. Because of intermittent rain throughout the day (!), I didn’t make it into Spring Creek Basin, but I look forward to soon documenting the run of water through Spring Creek. Hallelujah!
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
I think that one pic is also a Rufous, possibly a female or an immature?
Let me know what the consensus is?
Ah, really!? Those have very iridescent green backs, but you can see a glint of orange under the wing and that one very clear copper “medallion” on the throat. Some of the others have orangey tails but not much orange elsewhere. Thanks!
“All creatures great and small!” The Basin is full of all kinds of interesting critters – the desert is always more than it seems. That hummer does look like a Rufous. We have one or two every year at our feeders mercilessly bullying all the other humingbirds. 🙂So glad you got rain, TJ! We’re all so grateful to be sharing in the desperately needed moisture!
So true about the desert and all its amazing diversity. I love it … and yes, SOOSOOOSOOOOOOO grateful for the moisture, finally!
Hallelujah!!😁
It does make me want to sing (without an audience!). 😉
Great pictures of all the critters!