Even knowing something was there – because the mustangs all had alerted – it took a while for me to locate these two coyotes on the snowy hillside of bachelor ridge in Spring Creek Basin. They’re hunted mercilessly in this part of the country, but I enjoy seeing them. They’re no threat to the wily mustangs. 🙂
Because it was less full of distracting vegetation for the resident paparazzo!
OK, full disclosure: These turkeys weren’t in Spring Creek Basin. But they were/ARE in Disappointment Valley, very close to the basin. And who doesn’t love turkeys?!
They have some gorgeous feathers, don’t they?
Another note: It’s hard to get in-focus photos of turkeys. Those little heads are harder to focus on than, say, big mustangs. 🙂
This totally cuuuuuute local guy walked by in Spring Creek Basin the other day. I was smitten at first glance, but he kept on a’walkin’. 🙂
Here’s to peace.
Corona didn’t seem to know what to make of her little friend, but when she walked on through the trees, Jack turned and hippity-hopped after her.
Hippity hoppity! This little cottontail held its ground as a band trailed through a wide arroyo on a summer evening, and that made it a perfect subject for a bunny portrait. 🙂
Howdy, handsome! My, what excellent horns you have!
Some of the horses kept looking over a hill, and I thought another band might be there. Nope, just these awesome creatures!
I was just walking along when …
This pronghorn buck was napping when I crested a little hill and saw him. He stood up, and I stood still. Apparently, he didn’t detect a threat, so he laid back down.
Note: All the little red bits are blooms of claret cup cacti, which seem particularly spectacular – and prolific – this year.
These photos all are significantly cropped. Pronghorns are much warier of intrusions by two-legged intruders than the mustangs. 🙂
Interesting trivia:
They’re the fastest North American land mammal – actually, the fastest in the entire Western Hemisphere, according to Wikipedia.
Wyomingites call pronghorns “speed goats.”
Pronghorns are not antelope, which is why it’s correct to call them pronghorns (pronghorn/pronghorns for plural animals? that’s one I’m not sure about).
Pronghorns prefer crawling under fences to jumping over them, which is why wildlife-friendly fencing that takes elk calves and deer fawns into consideration also considers this knowledge about pronghorn behavior – stringing the lowest wire strand at least 18 inches off the ground.
Pronghorns aren’t currently hunted in Disappointment Valley because their population is low (likely *because of* previous hunting). They seem to be working toward recovery because while they’re infrequently seen, they ARE seen.
Visit Wikipedia for more information about these cool mammals.
A fantastic book (thanks, David Temple!) is Built for Speed: A Year in the Life of Pronghorn.
This cracks me up so much there are hardly words for it. That’s Peter (Petra?) Cottontail in his/her arroyo-wall den in the wilds of Spring Creek Basin.
There’s probably 2 feet of arroyo wall above the den, and there’s probably another 4 or 5 feet below the bottom of the pic to the bottom of the arroyo. (The long lens is great for photographing mustangs at a distance but not so handy at capturing smaller critters closer at hand!) Pretty clever and pretty safe, really, though I don’t know if the bunny is the original excavator.
In addition to Peter (Petra), Jack (rabbits) abounds (har) in our little slice of heavenly planet.
It’s dry out there, but don’t you think you’re taking things a little far with the peeling skin?
I found Mr. or Mrs. Horny Toad the other day while visiting with Hollywood’s and Comanche’s bands. Don’t you love these prehistoric little dragons? I’ve seen several this year.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 