Crittering Archives
There is often some confusion among newcomers to Colorado between bighorn sheep and mountain goats. I often overhear this at places like Mount Evans, where you could very likely see both in the same day, or maybe even at the same time! I’ll admit, I was a little “fuzzy” on the differences when I started on my journey. One of my first photos of bighorn sheep in Colorado came from Ouray, where… Read More
Holy sea cow, it’s 2020. When did that happen? Ok, I know you’ve seen this post before. The one that starts with “Is been a long time since I’ve posted anything here…“ Guilty. We might have some catching up to do. I’ve nearly completed my Colorado Mammals project. I’ve photographed every species on my original list that is known to exist in the state, and a few more that were somewhat unknown…. Read More
What’s the difference between a possum and an opossum? In the United States, the two words are used interchangeably to refer to the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), even though, technically speaking, a possum is an Australian marsupial of no close relation. Whatever you prefer, this is is a fascinating creature that often carries an undeserved bad reputation. I grew up in rural Michigan where we called them ‘possums, and if you said… Read More
The flying squirrel may own the title of Colorado’s rarest mammal because just one single specimen has ever been recorded in the state. Although they are only found in a small sliver of the state, this probably has more to do with how difficult it is to find them, and not as much to do with the size of the population. The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) is common in northern latitudes of the… Read More
When you think of wildlife in Colorado you might think of a bull elk bugling amidst the aspen, bighorn sheep tip toing up a canyon wall, or maybe pronghorn grazing on the prairie. Regardless, I’m willing to bet that one critter you haven’t considered is the turtle! There are five species of turtles native to Colorado. Four of them are aquatic; the western painted turtle, snapping turtle, yellow mud turtle, and the… Read More
Blue light fills the cab of my pickup as lightning crashes into the ground all around me. In the midst of a fierce desert thunderstorm, I am watching an animal that hasn’t been documented in Colorado for nearly 20 years – Vulpes macrotis, commonly known as the kit fox. The kit fox is an arid land fox inhabiting the sagebrush and shrubland west of the Rocky Mountains. It has a slim body… Read More
Somebody pinch me. Did this really happen? I just returned from visiting Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and photographing not one, but two, Canada lynx in the wild. The Canada lynx is a Colorado state endangered species. For the protection of these animals, details regarding whereabouts have been omitted. You may wonder, how does one go about photographing a Canada lynx in the wild? When I set out on this project three years… Read More
The short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea) is Colorado’s smallest native carnivore. In summer, this diminutive weasel sports a chocolate brown coat with a light underbelly. In winter, it transforms to pure white except for a black tipped tail. In this white phase, the short-tailed weasel is often referred to as an ermine. I have now photographed 56 species of the 70 species in my Colorado Mammals Project. Of the 14 species that remain, ten are… Read More
Last year was a memorable year full of fun and accomplishments. In March, Lana and I travelled to Arizona to visit Saguaro National Park, Madera Canyon, and Chiracahua National Monument. We struck out on finding a wild coati, but we did see a few new species including collared peccary, round-tailed ground squirrel, and Botta’s pocket gopher. A few weeks later we were back to Arizona to help out with another round of black-footed… Read More
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