The Sonoran desert monsoon season has been a disappointment so far. Overall, not much rain. While some areas have had localized heavy downpours, other areas have been missing out and remained pretty dry. For a few years now, a couple friends and I have been hauling water to important dry waterholes that would otherwise be full from a decent monsoon season. The water this mountain lion is drinking is water hauled to the site. Thankfully, since this video was captured, there have been a few more rain showers that filled this waterhole and others in the area.
Tag: trail camera
Bear cub antics
It was a nice surprise to check this trail cam today and find that a family of bears visited the spring-fed wallow. Momma bear was just trying to relax, but her two cubs had different ideas.
Black bear nap time
In the Sonoran Desert, any water is precious. This little seep provides water for many desert critters, including this sleepy male black bear. I suspect he was down amongst the saguaro cacti to feed on their many ripe red fruits that have fallen to the ground.
Bobcats
Bobcats have been pretty active lately, both in my yard and out in the wilder places. Bobcats live around 7 to 10 years in the wild. The oldest bobcat in captivity lived to be 32 years old. Bobcats can give birth to up to six kittens, though two or three is more common, depending on available prey.
This bobcat has a territory with the best view. Seasonal rains fill up this spot dubbed the Infinity Pool.
Judging by body size and spot pattern, this young bobcat appears to be new to the neighborhood. My backyard cameras catch her regularly.
Bobcat kittens at a desert pool
This is the second year my cameras have caught a bobcat family in this drainage. Last year there were also three kittens. The male operates from one eye, as his left eye appears damaged. He’s the one who took down a deer fawn last year in front of the camera.
A mountain lion rests at a desert oasis
This mountain lion has been caught on my cameras on and off for nearly a year. The drainage she frequents also supports javelina and white-tailed deer, primary food sources for mountain lions in this region. When I was going to check the cameras, I came across the carcass of a deer fawn that was partially eaten and cached. I suspect that the mountain lion had very recently killed and eaten part of the fawn and was relaxing by the waterhole with a full belly.
Little Bear cools off
It’s been a pretty dry monsoon season so far here in the Sonoran Desert. The main waterholes used by local wildlife in my area are drying up due to sparse rains. The low water level at what we’ve been calling Little Bear Pool didn’t stop this black bear from taking a soak to cool down. Thankfully, more rain is forecasted for this week.
Puma Concolor
Mountain lion, cougar, or puma, this big cat is pretty stunning in her physique and lifestyle. All muscle and articulate movement when moving through her environment searching for prey and water. This particular cat showed that she also has habits of sorts, like us, in that she pretty much mirrored her visit to the waterhole two days apart. One visit during the day, and one during the night.
A Sonoran Desert Mountain Lion
When the temperatures start to rise as summer comes to the Sonoran Desert, any water source becomes a critical lifeline for all the desert critters. Birds, reptiles, insects, and mammals large and small regularly visit these waterholes. In this case, over the course of a month, a mountain lion stopped by only once on her rounds through her territory. The water at this spot has since dried up, so hopefully there are more water sources to be found deeper in the canyon.
Common sonoran desert mammals
Javelinas, raccoons, ringtails, coatis, gray foxes, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, and mountain lions are regular, year around residents of the Sonoran desert region. The animals in the following video were captured on my trail cams in my yard and in Sky Island mountain ranges in SE Arizona.
My Earth 