Tag: Latigo Trail

Built-in Back-Scratchers

A mule deer buck preens surrounded by desert plants on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 16, 2023. Original: _RAC9671.ARW

I was doing some macro photography of prickly pear paddles when I noticed a buck in the desert scrub behind me. It slowly approached as it grazed, then crossed the trail and continued further south. After I finished the shots he was still in sight and clearly comfortable with me so I sidled down the trail with my telephoto setup, finding a location where I could surround the fine fellow with the desert plants for context. I love watching animals preen, especially those without hands, he was using his teeth though he did have some nice built-in back-scratchers at his disposal. I had trouble getting the focus to lock and most shots were blurry, it was the kick in the pants I needed to order the A6700.

📷: Sony A6600 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: November 16, 2023

Tree Topper

A male phainopepla perches above a pile of desert mistletoe berry detritus in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona

Perhaps this winter I should top the Christmas tree with a phainopepla ornament, they certainly make a lovely tree topper. Desert mistletoe berries are a favored food but I’ll pass on replicating the debris field of detritus beneath them, fresh clumps are a giveaway of a preferred perch.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: February 14, 2024

Stirring

A black-and-white shot of a saguaro I call The Muppet on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 21, 2023. Original: _ZFC8092

A while back I decided to not use my leave of absence as a trial retirement but instead to let my mind go quiet for a while. There’s a part of myself I’ve kept in hibernation for a very long while and I’m not ready to let him rise from slumber, as if he stirs it will be too hard to go back to work for the year or so before real retirement. I have relented a little in the weeks of leave that remain, small awakenings I don’t think I’ll regret. One that caught me by surprise was a desire to play around with black-and-white photography as usually I only shoot it in desperation. I don’t think I’ll ever shoot much of it, the point is to let my mind wander into new territory, but not only did I love this quick snap of The Muppet as Bear and I hiked in the desert, so far it’s my favorite picture I’ve taken of this saguaro.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50mm DX
🗓️: November 21, 2023

Basking

A female common side-blotched lizard closes her eyes while basking in the sun on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 29, 2023. Original: _RAC6608.ARW

Common side-blotched lizards are one of my favorite desert residents and one of the rare reptiles you might glimpse during the cooler months, though only on the warmest days. I met this basking female in the late spring when warmth is not hard to come by, she was basking in the sun but could easily retreat into the shadows if necessary. She decided I was alright and even closed her eyes for a while.

📷: Sony A6600 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 29, 2023

A female common side-blotched lizard basks in the sun beneath a rock overhang on the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 29, 2023. Original: _RAC6565.ARW

Not Latourell Falls

Yellow lichen covers part of a dead tree near the Latigo Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on November 29, 2023. Originals: _Z726904.NEF to _Z726998.NEF

I was thinking of Latourell Falls in Oregon when I took this picture, there’s a rock face beside the waterfall completely coated in yellow lichen. The gray wood stood in for the high cliff face, and while the lichen here is but sparse compared to its Oregon counterpart, it is a little more moist beside a waterfall than on a dead tree in the desert.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: November 29, 2023