Last night, Vikki and Mark went out looking for owls with me. It sure helps to have someone along who can hear! They can hear Elf Owls far beyond my range of hearing. We ended up hearing four and seeing three. I got perhaps one of my best photos ever of an Elf Owl. Sometimes I think maybe my favorite is simply the most recent, it is hard to pick. At any rate, I’m already thinking about next years photo show here in Ajo!
Here’s the best one I got. These little owls aren’t really that difficult to photograph if one uses a good flash on manual exposure. They usually sit still long enough to get focus and shoot. They are only about 6 inches long. We located one pair that appear to be using a cavity in a Saguaro. A Mohave Rattlesnake I saw on the road near my camper this morning. First Mohave I’ve seen this spring. Although very similar to a Western Diamondback, Mohaves are generally more greenish yellow in color. The supraoculars (the large uplifted scale over each eye) are separated by two scales, diagnostic of Mohave Rattlesnakes. This species has large venom yields and very potent neurotoxins, making it one of the more dangerous rattlesnakes.
One reply on “More Elf Owls and a Mohave Rattlesnake”
That first shot of the coiled Mohave is really nice. What a beautiful animal with its gold-to-greenish scales!
One reply on “More Elf Owls and a Mohave Rattlesnake”
That first shot of the coiled Mohave is really nice. What a beautiful animal with its gold-to-greenish scales!