Thursday, November 3, 2011

Short Set Surprises

As readers know, I like short sets (both in height and duration). 2 nights and days, and a few seeds, and you can get a good sense of the local Rodentia.

But, sometimes these shorties yield interesting surprises that aren't the usual micro-furries.

Here's 3 not-what-I-expected-to-gets, from my Mono Basin summer short sets...

Sage Thrasher
On a burrow set in big sagebrush, that was targeting night time foraging voles, k-rats and like, this charming Sage Thrasher, Oreoscoptes montanus, showed up. First time I've "seen" one.

sage thrasher

Pinyon Jay Family
At a similar set to the one above, but on a gravelly pinyon pine slope with expectations of chipmunks, desert woodrats, and kangaroo mice, this family of Pinyon Jays, Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus, stopped by to enjoy the sunflower seeds:

pinyon jays

pinyon jays

pinyon jays

pinyon jays

The Velvet Buck
On a muddy pond bank, where I was hoping for micro-mammals, such as shrews, this big boy mulie wandered through to smell the set and check out the cam:

buck

buck

buck

Gotta love curious and cooperative animals.

And short set surprises.

====
References:
==========

3 comments:

  1. the buck images are especially beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Sage Thrasher photo looks like a painting by a master wildlife artist to me. I love the Pinyon Jays and Mulie as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great shots! I'm familiar with California, LeConte's and Crissal thrashers, but the sage thrasher is a new one for me. Its tail and bill seem a tad shorter than that of the average thrasher. I must look out for this thrasher the next time we trek out to the Lee Vining/Mono Lake area in the Eastern Sierras.

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a comment, thought or question at any time.