Species Parade, Episode 18

Pardon my absence and that of the Species Parade. Between exciting holiday visits, a death in the family, and the development of the Best Horse Practices Summit, time got away from me.

Last month, we mourned the loss of Belle, our 12-year old Basset Hound mutt. From all indications, she met her end when confronting a mountain lion, about a half mile from home. Read more about it here.

Perhaps because of mourning or my growing distaste for really cold weather or the fact that animals after all tend to lay low in winter, I haven’t seen much.

At least one Golden Eagle has been dining regularly on the many, many turkeys in our canyon. I find feathers and feet. My neighbor caught on video an eagle shredding its prey under some junipers. I saw the ginormous raptor honing in on a flock of turkeys while I was skiing. It was like a Boeing/Airbus battle. All the turkeys got away, but I suspect their safety was only temporary.

Mammals:

Coyote

Elk

Mule Deer

Cottontail Rabbit

Brush Mouse

Rock Squirrel

Skunk

Western Screech Owl

Western Screech Owl

Mountain Lion

Birds:

Golden Eagle

Bald Eagle

Lewis’s Woodpecker

Clark’s Nutcracker

Downy Woodpecker

Nuthatch

House Sparrow

Red-Winged Black Bird

Canada Goose

Mallard

A cold Townsend's Solitaire

A cold Townsend’s Solitaire

Townsend’s Solitaire

Red Shafted Flicker

Steller’s Jay

Black Capped Chickadee

American Crow

Common Raven

Scrub Jay

Magpie

Turkey

Dark-Eyed Junco (and its many varieties)

Ringed Turtle Dove

Rock Dove

American Kestrel

Turkey Vulture

Red-Tailed Hawk

Starling

American Robin

Great Horned Owl

Western Screech Owl

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