But this round, a fuller cast of characters.
Dates are August to September.
First up - the local pygmy rabbit of the colony. Its main burrow entrance is under the dead willows, which, as you'll see below, is a wise choice/adaptation.
Exhibit A: the next morning at 6:52am, during the typical crepuscular "bunny hours," one of the local bobcats came a prowlin'...
As you can see, the low light caused the camera to fill-flash. Which really pulled out the details when you zoom or crop the images for a closer look.
Love the wet nose and tongue tip sticking out. So catty.
And the ear tufts - perfection.
The camera obviously didn't impress the bob, which sauntered right on by.
Just 2 minutes after the bobcat, at 6:54am, a couple of mule deer bucks also passed through.
Stalking the bobcat?
And later, one stopped in for a closer inspection.
Two rodents were commonly caught zipping through the scene - Ord's kangaroo rats and least chipmunks. Both are common denizens of the sage steppe.
And another Lagomorph was a frequent visitor - black-tailed jackrabbit.
Much like the other location (that is many miles away), there's always a local Wyle. E. Coyote.
That, of course, just must see if my camera is edible.
Dogs.
But while the coyotes may evoke deja-vu, this location does have visitors that I haven't caught at any other pygmy sites, such as this owl. Which the cam caught several times and I think is a long-eared owl, even though the ears aren't up.
Here's a closer crop. Other ideas? Confirmations?
Fast moving fangs and claws by land, and silent death-from-above by night.
Life is hard in a pygmy rabbitat.
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References:
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Smile! You're on Candid Canid
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Bunny Zone 3 - Los Sympaticos
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Back in the Bunny Zone Part 2
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Back in the Bunny Zone Part 1
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Pygmy Rabbitat Round-up
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Dust-Bathing Beauties
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Jealous Jacks
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - I Brake for Brachys
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Splitting Hares
- Nature of a Man (this blog) - Pygmies of the Great Basin
- Eveline Séquin Larrucea, University of Nevada Reno - Distribution, Behavior, and Habitat Preferences of the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) in Nevada and California
- Joye Harold Severaid, Journal of Mammalogy, vol 31, February 1950 - The Pigmy Rabbit (Sylvilagus idahoensis) in Mono County, California
- E. W. Jameson, Jr., and Hans J. Peeters, UCPress - Mammals of California
- Wikipedia - Pygmy rabbit
Yes, Long-eared...that's gotta be a species that doesn't show up in many camera traps.
ReplyDeleteThat's a busy place. Amazing stuff, as always.
A fascinating post. Great photos. I say Long-eared Owl also.
ReplyDeleteAgree, it's a long eared. Not the type of habitat I'd usually think of as long-eared owl habitat, but ...
ReplyDeleteVery nice photos.
So much sand and so much life. Seems like your cam traps are more colorful. Did you change your cam design or did we just miss you?
ReplyDeleteMore colorful... This is one of my most recent hacks, a 12MP Sony, so maybe the colors are richer. The sandy setting always helps colors pop too.
DeleteI love the adaptive smaller size of both the bobcat and coyote. Those bucks did appear to have been keeping an eye on the cat. Great shots.
ReplyDeleteCatching up here. What a scene! The morning light is just stunning. Were you with us the year we found the long eared owl nest at the Kelso Depot? Not quite the same habitat as Mono Basin, but another place I was a little surprised to see them.
ReplyDeleteJust a thank you for your lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks back at ya Jeannette for your long term attention. Hopefully I can find time to post more often.
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