Cooper’s Hawks Return
A few years ago, when we still lived in South Scottsdale, there was a park nearby that we used to visit often. It sits in a flood protection zone for the monsoon season and is…
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Checkerboard
Another Morning with Scarface
Scarface and her companion were back at the Riparian Preserve this week. The pair spent much of the morning chasing and playfully nipping at each other across the nearly dry settling ponds. Despite all the…
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Coyotes: Familiar Faces at Water Ranch
At the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, water is carefully managed through a series of settling ponds - an engineered landscape that has become a refuge for wildlife over the years. Some ponds sit nearly…
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The Aliens Are Back – A Spring Encounter
Every year around this time, I start watching the ground a little more closely - and right on cue, they return. The “aliens” of the desert are back. Digger bees, often from the genus Anthophora, are…
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This Time of the Year: Fluff Balls in the Wild
At this time of year, a few miles from our home, several great horned owls are raising their young. It’s incredible to see how quickly these tiny, downy chicks grow - in what feels like…
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A Rare Backyard Visitor
After a morning shoot along the Salt River photographing otters and wild horses, I came home to a pretty unusual visitor in our backyard - a Gila monster. Gila monsters are one of the most…
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