Tag: Latigo Trail

Good Old Rock, Nothing Beats That

A common side-blotched lizard perches on a boulder in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona. Original: _A672027.ARW

The mating strategy of common side-blotched lizards is referred to as rock-paper-scissors as, like the childhood game, each of the three strategies tends to win over one but is often defeated by the other. This one has chosen rock, which is good as rock always wins.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm+1.4X
🗓️: May 11, 2024

Looking for the Easter Bunny

A Harris' hawk perches on a saguaro on a cloudy spring afternoon on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 13, 2025. Original: _A678444.ARW

A week ago the temperature late in the day was predicted to be right on the border of where I won’t take Bear hiking, so I took him for a long neighborhood walk in the morning and went out by myself in the afternoon. I do enjoy being able to go slowly and soak in all the details of the desert but it makes me sad to hike without my buddy, so this was only the second time this year I went alone.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm+1.4X
🗓️: April 13, 2025

Subtle Hints

A great horned owl perches in a palo verde while a massive saguaro towers in the background in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on

I’ve seen a number of owls while walking Bear the past couple of years and have focused on taking environmental portraits to highlight how different their home is here compared to the other places I’ve lived. In this picture I used an extremely subtle hint to suggest this owl lives in the Sonoran Desert.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm + 1.4X
🗓️: May 11, 2024