Today is World Wildlife Day! We have had some great photos of wildlife, birds, and other critters featured on Sunday Stills just last week with “flight” and in “fur and feathers” last June.
The Sunday Stills theme this week is Wildlife.
Desert Wildlife
While we were on our winter road trip to Arizona and Nevada in January, I took a few photos of local wildlife.
Our first afternoon in Sedona before the major snow dump, we surprised this Javalina (pronounced “hah-vah-leena”) as it foraged in the bushes near a Sedona art gallery and I quickly got this lucky, if fuzzy shot with my phone.
“They aren’t wild pigs but are members of the “peccary” family that originated in South America. They are accustomed to humans but generally ignore them unless provoked. They’ve been known to defend themselves with their long, sharp tusks. The primary habitat of the Javelina are the central and southern areas of Arizona in desert-like terrain near washes with dense vegetation. They are found in the outskirts of Phoenix and Tucson as well as Flagstaff and Sedona. It isn’t unusual for them to live within the desert areas just outside suburban communities.”
Arizona Leisure
While hiking in the Valley of Fire in Nevada, I hit the wildlife bonanza. You saw my hawk image featured last week.
After our wonderful hike through the red rocks, we picnicked and were entertained by the golden mantle ground squirrels that thought they could join us.
As we drove on to our next scenic area, we noticed a commotion as cars were stopped along the road. To the right, we caught a somewhat rare glimpse of a small herd of desert big-horned sheep grazing. Judging by the size of their horns, they looked like juveniles.
An Urban Wildlife Sanctuary
More and more we hear of wild animals such as bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes (here in California) roaming the suburban streets looking for food. As suburbia builds further into the natural habitats of wildlife, more of these animals will become displaced.
Often, they are shot (or at least tranquilized) and removed by local law enforcement. Like many, the City of Folsom in Northern California (10 miles east of Sacramento) is one of those communities gradually building further into the Sierra Foothills. Thankfully, the City had a vision in the early 1960s to establish a wildlife zoo/sanctuary.
I took my university’s Facility Management students to the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary last October for a class field trip. The zoo is operated by the recreation and parks department and is overseen by a colleague!
We toured the impressive facility, home to both domestic and wild animals which have been abandoned, rescued, or injured and brought here to live the rest of their natural lives in peace. The zoo becomes their permanent home and the animals are cared for by trained staff and veterinarians. Our tour included the behind-the-scenes areas where some animals are temporarily kept away from visitors because of illness or injury.
One of my students got up close (but not too personal) with a black bear (one of eight).
Although the zoo sees thousands of visitors a year, the animal residents have areas in their enclosures in which to hide or rest, away from people.
Here is an example of one of the black bears taking a nap.
This adorable white cockatoo poses for the camera.
Becky at Life of B has started her Spiky Squares in March photo challenge with the theme of “spiky.” This image and the big-horn sheep are my contributions to Spiky Squares.
A warm welcome to our newest Sunday Stills contributor, Roberts Snap Spot!
Just a reminder to title your blog post differently from mine so SEO can find us all.
I am excited to see what wildlife photos and other creative ideas you will contribute to this week’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge!
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The bear needs a hug 🙂
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I will post some of our wildlife photos sometime today.
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Beautiful photos of desert wildlife! The Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels can be seen in the desert around Vegas too. Love them! 😎☺️❤️
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Thank you, John, those golden mantles get around…I’ve seen them in Yosemite, too!
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They are hard to photograph as they run sooo fast!
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He was intrigued by our picnic and posed for handouts! He didn’t get a crumb, at least from us!
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People feed them here too, both at the Red Rock Overlook and in Calico Basin at the picnic area… I won’t feed them…
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[…] Entry for Terrie´s Sunday Still Challenge. […]
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The ground squirrel is really sweet! Love the selection for this week!
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Thank you, Maria!
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I love seeing the wild life out in the wild. For some reason, I get a little depressed when they are caged up!!
I’d never even heard of a javalina….how cool!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
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That javelina was a lucky shot, Jodie! I dislike seeing animals in cages, but in this case, they are now protected and living out their lives 😄
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[…] pueo flying here. This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Wildlife’ (see more offerings here) and, in an audacious move, I’m posting photos of the same […]
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[…] Sunday Stills […]
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Nice photos Terri. I love the colors in the ground squirrel shot particularly. I too am not a great fan of zoos, but they do have their role these days in preservation of species and in caring for those animals that can’t go back to the wild. Here’s my offering: https://grahamsisland.com/2019/03/03/mealtime-for-a-pueo/
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I’ve only been to a couple of zoos. The San Diego zoo seems to be the pinnacle. The local Sacramento Zoo is ok, too many cages. I’m glad we have the Folsom Zoo in the area to help with the local wildlife that needs help.
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Beautiful photographs, Terri. The one of the squirrel is really lovely.
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Thanks, Robbie, he was a great subject!
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I look forward to your Sunday Stills surprises,Terri. You always present an interesting array of photos. Love the animals here and though it’s disheartening to see such large creatures as a bear in a small enclosure, I realize this sanctuary is the only way a rescue can survive. We have a small zoo nearby, also populated with local rescues.
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Thanks, Shari! I’m glad to know there is a rescue zoo near you!
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[…] For Terri’s Sunday Still challenge: Wildlife […]
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Here’s my contribution of a bit of wildlife from the Negev desert in Israel:
Na’ama
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The link to my SUNDAY SKILL
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What a beautiful trip! That is one I would love to take! It’s heartbreaking to see animals displaced and having to go through for garbage to survive.
This post is amazing, Terri!
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Thank you, Aixa! I think this scenario will degrade before it gets better.
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[…] theme for Sunday Stills is Wildlife and this is my take on the prompt. I hope you’ve enjoyed […]
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I love all your photos of wildlife Terri, especially the little squirrel. It’s so different to ours down here although we have cockatoos too! Bears are something we definitely don’t have except in zoos. Thanks for the prompt and here’s my post https://debs-world.com/2019/03/03/where-the-wildlife-is-really-wild/
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Loved your post, Debbie! It is sad to think that someone could abandon a parrot or cockatoo since they are long-lived.
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[…] Sharing with Sunday Stills – Wildlife […]
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Great shots Terri! Here is my link
Have a great week!
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The javalina is awesome!
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He was a surprise to see especially how he came out of nowhere!
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These photos are wonderful as usual, Terri, and a nice variety of shots. The squirrel looks full of energy and the colors are so vivid! I can relate to the mood of the bear as we approach the last few weeks of winter here in Maine. I take pictures of deer and turkeys when they grace our backyard. They always make me smile.
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Feel like hibernating, Molly? Its been raining for days here and gray and now it’s March…we get no snow here but I feel like hibernating!
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I have heard that having a rainy spell is tough going for many, Terri. Our winters are quite sunny for the most part, and for that I am grateful!
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At least I got enough sunny days on our road trip, believe it or not, to keep the SAD away. Will see some sun in Hawaii in two weeks interspersed with rain, but that’s OK because it will be 80 degrees!
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All adorable! ❤️
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[…] Sunday Stills – Wildlife […]
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[…] Wildlife Side – Sunday Stills / Reckoning – FOWC / Trial – RDP / Day 3 – Spiky Monthly Squares […]
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[…] week Teri has challenged us […]
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Fabulous post, really enjoyed this . . . and your two spiky squares are perfect 🙂
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Thanks, Becky! Will post another this Friday 🙂
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Yay!
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Amazing photos. I’ve never heard of a Javalina. It’s interesting how the colour of your squirrel compares to mine over the other side of the pond!
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Thank you, Stevie, I’m sure they share the same gene pool!
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I love the fact that we can see and read about the wildlife we’ve never heard of before, Terri. Thanks for the introduction to the Javalina and the Desert Big-Horned Sheep. The sheep look very different in Wales to those of the desert. I wonder if animals look at us humans as wildlife?
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I wondered how I was going to incorporate those photos into a post (even I like my SS themes). And see how your mind works, asking that question? 😛
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Hi Terri, I have heard of javelinas before, but I have never actually seen one. I thought they were huge, like big wild boars. Your little friend seems pretty sweet and no so frightening!
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This one was smaller but I’ve been told they are larger and rather aggressive in a pack. He startled me as I tried to take his photo as he started up the embankment.
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When we were in Sedona about six or seven years ago, they had a bunch of colorfully painted (all by different artists) statues of Javalina all over the town. I never did see one in the wild, but the statues sure were cute. Did they still have them displayed when you were there? Nice pic of the cockatoo!
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I didn’t see any statues of javalina, I’ll bet the art was fun to see, Janis!
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[…] SUNDAY STILLS PHOTO: Wildlife […]
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[…] https://secondwindleisure.com/2019/03/03/sunday-stills-walk-on-the-wildlife-side/ […]
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Hi, Terri, I LOVE this theme and the photos that you chose for it. There is so much wildLIFE out there to discover. Thank you for sharing these shots with us.
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Thank you! I was also pleased with the response as I believe we all love to see wildlife in action!
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Such wonderful shots and so good of the wildlife to be cooperative! Love the yellow of the bear’s bunk against his glossy black fur. And the little ground squirrel is so clearly captured. I like the blurred background, it seems to keep your focus on the critter!
Have copied down the prompts of March and will keep participating in Sunday Stills. So enjoying it!
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Hi Leslie, thank you for taking a look at the wild side! I look forward to your photos when you can participate! Hope all is well with you!
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Love seeing the local wildlife Terri, but the bear looks SO sweet 😊
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Thanks, Tina! I’m glad they are being cared for!
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[…] our walks on the wild side we have discovered scaly, furry and feathered spikes, along side bursts of […]
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Hi Terri
Love your photos. I don’t know how you do it. On a recent drive down Hwy 1 my husband pulled off at one of the scenic overlooks. I saw two crows sitting on a rock one with a rat in its mouth. By the time I got my camera ready they’d flown away. Arg. So frustrating.
Laura
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Thank you, Laura! Trial and error and luck!
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[…] theme for her Sunday Stills Challenge this week is Wildlife. I always return to my photos from South Africa for this […]
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[…] For: Sunday Stills: Walk on the #Wildlife Side […]
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great photos, Terri 🙂
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[…] Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: https://secondwindleisure.com/2019/03/03/sunday-stills-walk-on-the-wildlife-side/ […]
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[…] SUNDAY STILLS PHOTO: Daylight […]
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