Chris and I went for a walk in the canyon yesterday morning as it had just rained the night before.
Because of the rain, the accordion-like pleats of the saguaros had expanded, making the cacti look a little plumper than usual.
The leaves of the cottonwood trees along the creek were just starting to turn golden.
We saw a jack rabbit, a Harris's antelope squirrel and some of the usual birds like this cactus wren.
Even though the rain seemed to have cooled off the heat wave, not many visitors were in the park.
The recent rain wasn't enough for the creek to resume flowing.
We only saw pools of standing water here and there.
We didn't encounter any reptiles in the four hours we were at the canyon.
But there were a lot of these dark orange butterflies.
And, at the first bridge past mile two, there was a surprise up in a tree, that drew a small audience...
A coati! This was the first time Chris or I have seen one at the canyon. Coatis belong to the raccoon family. They're also known as Coatimundis, Brazilian aardvarks, hog-nosed coons,
and snookum bears.
I'll put up more pictures of the coati in another post
here.
Because of the rain, the accordion-like pleats of the saguaros had expanded, making the cacti look a little plumper than usual.
The leaves of the cottonwood trees along the creek were just starting to turn golden.
We saw a jack rabbit, a Harris's antelope squirrel and some of the usual birds like this cactus wren.
Even though the rain seemed to have cooled off the heat wave, not many visitors were in the park.
The recent rain wasn't enough for the creek to resume flowing.
We only saw pools of standing water here and there.
We didn't encounter any reptiles in the four hours we were at the canyon.
But there were a lot of these dark orange butterflies.
And, at the first bridge past mile two, there was a surprise up in a tree, that drew a small audience...
A coati! This was the first time Chris or I have seen one at the canyon. Coatis belong to the raccoon family. They're also known as Coatimundis, Brazilian aardvarks, hog-nosed coons, and snookum bears.
I'll put up more pictures of the coati in another post here.
18 comments:
It must have been a good and refreshing walk since it just rained the day before. I really like the picture of the bird that's on the cactus. And that butterfly is wonderful. Have another great day!
How cool to run into Coati in the canyon! :)
Lovely walk, lovely photos and lovely place!
Rain in the desert is such a gift. And what a bonus to see a coatimundi, it's rather snuggly looking. Never seen one before. Are they rare? I sure look forward to more pics of it.
Neat post, Diane. Amazing what a little rain can do, isn't it??? I have never even heard of a Coati before. What a neat animal. I'll be interested in knowing more about him.
Hugs,
Betsy
What a cool surprise to see a coati in the tree! I've never seen one but knew they were around the area. Did it make any kind of vocalization while you were there? This is quite a cute shot!
the cactus wren is captured prefectly! and oh, i like all the sweet lil' (butterflies) and big (coati) surprises you encountered. it must be a wonderful October walk! ;)
These mountain side photos looks beautiful. I like the lighting, composition and the posture of the bird photo. It looks excellent. with dark background the yellow leaves looks nice. The coati is new to me.
lovely photos! i love the picture of the bird sitting nicely in a cactus, looks like it found its niche!!
and the coati, got to say, never seen one before....so cute!
eng
These are all such wonderful shots - all of them! And I've never even heard of a coati - so very awesome!!
I can just feel how wonderful this walk must have been in the cooler air! I'm surprised more people were not there!!! I love seeing your pictures and reading about all of your fun adventures!!!
Beautiful photos! I haven't heard of the coati before..must have been a treat to see..
Beautiful shots. I see that you get a little color in the canyon in autumn. We don't get too much color here in SoCal so it's nice to see some.
You got some rain and didn't share it with us in Phoenix? Love your pictures! A coati - how cool is that! Fantastic picture of the cactus wren.
Wow, what a great capture. I was already impressed with the cactus wren as I have been disatisfied with my bird photos of late. The Coati is a real treat.
The reptiles are out here, cooler weather brings the snakes out to sun on the concrete path.
A coati! That's a real gem, Diane.
That looks like a lovely walk! There are so many different things to see, and I love the coati, and also all its different names!
i can tell you had such a fruitful walk!
Post a Comment