Wild Prairie Falcons and other critters

[Venomlust]

All photos taken during the course of my work/leisure on the Carrizo Plains National Monument, San Luis Obispo County, California.

Whiptail Lizard:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/whiptail_zpse0107b68.jpg

Bobcat:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/bobcat3_zpsf0058fb0.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/bobcat2_zps856331db.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/bobcat1_zps60d88555.jpg

Fence Lizard:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/fencelizard_zps931880e4.jpg

Rattlesnake:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/rattler_zps3de5c193.jpg

Tarantula Hawk:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/tarantulahawk_zps8dbdaba2.jpg

Recently fledged Prairie Falcon:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/PRFAyoungster2_zps42202fae.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/PRFAyoungster_zpsfb8477fb.jpg

Adult Prairie Falcon:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/PRFAadult_zpse3f1e5b3.jpg

Turkey Vulture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/TUVU_zpscab27c48.jpg

[Ross]

Nice pics

[California Native]

Alex,

Beautiful place when the new green grass and wildflower bloom is on. What work did you have there?

[passagejack]

Great pics Alex! Almost makes me miss California.

[Amy]

My Husband and I both grew up in San Luis Obispo County and my husband has been going there since he was about 12 yrs old. One of his favorite spots for prairie falcons!!!

[Ricky Ortiz]

No blunt nose leopard lizards? I hear that's a good place to spot them. Great shots by the way!

[Venomlust]

First, thanks for the compliments. It's a pleasure to be out there seeing this stuff, and I know there are like-minded (i.e. great minds toungeout) who would appreciate this stuff on Nafex.

Also, I feel like such a goon for calling it Carrizo Plains when it's Carrizo Plain. I am now vindicated. What was that about great minds?

Second, Dan, I got hired to close up all the open pipes on the monument. These range from wide diameter pipes used as ventilation shafts in abandoned gypsum mines, to smaller ones used as fence-posts in corrals on the monument once used for ranching. Nearby oil industry apparently provided a good source of them.

The idea is that little cavity nesting birds, curious squirrels and lizards won't fall into the pipes and be unable to get out. It does happen quite often, I find plenty of mummified little bodies in the pipes, which fascinate me in a morbid sort of way. I close the pipes by stuffing them with dead grasses, rocks, or dried out cow-pies, then spray in some expandable foam and put a little dirt/grass on top of it.

Because Ricky asked: The Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard, endemic to the Carrizo Plain and immediately surrounding areas, quite endangered.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/BNLL_zps3d0ed6ae.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Venomlust/media/BNLL_zps3d0ed6ae.jpg.html)

[Venomlust]

And a few more:

Red-tail eating a rodent:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/RTHAeating_zpsda6a858e.jpg

Barn Owl in an old water tank:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/BAOW_zps0e87ff0a.jpg

A Loggerhead Shrike chick. Its parents built a little nest inside a 7-foot tall stick nest most likely built by ravens:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/LOSH_zps03d009e3.jpg

Great Horned Owl chicks in an old barn, I posted a pic of them on the owl forum:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/GHOWchicks_zps1c998b91.jpg

[Venomlust]

My Husband and I both grew up in San Luis Obispo County and my husband has been going there since he was about 12 yrs old. One of his favorite spots for prairie falcons!!!

Awesome! It's become my favorite place to work/escape the city. It's a great spot for raptors, as well (which factors into making it my favorite place :D).

It's awesome to see the prairie falcons. My favorites are the golden eagles, but it's pretty rare to see them. I hope to find a nest of theirs one day, but for now I'm finding any other nest I can. Looking for potential research ideas/projects to do out there for my master's thesis, in addition to my pipe work.

[Ricky Ortiz]

First, thanks for the compliments. It's a pleasure to be out there seeing this stuff, and I know there are like-minded (i.e. great minds toungeout) who would appreciate this stuff on Nafex.

Also, I feel like such a goon for calling it Carrizo Plains when it's Carrizo Plain. I am now vindicated. What was that about great minds?

Second, Dan, I got hired to close up all the open pipes on the monument. These range from wide diameter pipes used as ventilation shafts in abandoned gypsum mines, to smaller ones used as fence-posts in corrals on the monument once used for ranching. Nearby oil industry apparently provided a good source of them.

The idea is that little cavity nesting birds, curious squirrels and lizards won't fall into the pipes and be unable to get out. It does happen quite often, I find plenty of mummified little bodies in the pipes, which fascinate me in a morbid sort of way. I close the pipes by stuffing them with dead grasses, rocks, or dried out cow-pies, then spray in some expandable foam and put a little dirt/grass on top of it.

Because Ricky asked: The Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard, endemic to the Carrizo Plain and immediately surrounding areas, quite endangered.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/BNLL_zps3d0ed6ae.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Venomlust/media/BNLL_zps3d0ed6ae.jpg.html)

Oh yeah that's what I'm talkin bout! clapp

[calebstroh]

Nice pics dude!

[passager]

Great Pics!:D

[Venomlust]

Thanks, here's another:

There was another hawk in the nest, hunkered down:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/RTHAchick_zps22d0a8cf.jpg

[Venomlust]

Here is the last batch of photos. I've worked all my hours, and spent all my money repairing the damage friggin' squirrels and rabbits have inflicted on my car. Good times! I won't be working out there any more this summer.

Luckily, I brought my crossbow with me the last time I went up there, and my freezer is packed with jacks and cottontails, waiting for my 2nd bird!:D

Anyhow, please enjoy:

What I believe is a recluse of some sort (please correct me if I'm wrong):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/recluse2_zps4fe1aa9a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/recluse_zps6b6cf176.jpg

A striped skunk, lurking around an irrigated lawn in the middle of absolutely nowhere:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/skunk_zps0586c9d7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/skunk2_zps0d048f85.jpg

An adult PRFA:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/PRFA_zps4974a7b0.jpg

A pronghorn with a very bad limp. Coyotes or eagles are probably gonna take it out any day now:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/pronghorn_zps63b27dff.jpg

A "bachelor herd" of Tule Elk, and two males eyeing me disdainfully:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/elkherd_zps97726cd0.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/tuleelk_zps4e441384.jpg

A barn owl in flight:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/BAOW_zps8e7858e7.jpg

A young roadrunner:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Venomlust/RR_zps80eabd4f.jpg

[Ricky Ortiz]

Alex it's a male kukulcania (southern house spider)

[Venomlust]

Right on. Thanks, Ricky. I love the genus name, as well.

[REYNALDO]

really nice pictures Alex!