on the back forty, caught on another hot and dry and smoky afternoon.
Mule deer buck in velvet (Odocoileus hemionus).
Secure behind a ceramic sun face...
and clinging to the cedar siding is a solitary bat, hanging head down next to my secret house key. It clearly prefers solitude as opposed to occupying the nearby bat house with more than 200 residents.
Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus).
Here’s the bottom of the two-chambered bat house this afternoon with 40+ individuals peeking out in this image. It’s crowded in there!
Bats need friends! If you’d like to build and successfully locate a bat house the classic guide was published in 1994 (now out-of-print) and co-authored by my late wife: Bat House Builder’s Handbook.
Black and granular gold...
accumulates on the back deck below a double-chambered bat house. Some lucky gardener friend of mine is going to receive more than five pounds (2.3 kg) of premium organic free range bat guano in the near future.
Bats need friends! Provide free housing and they will eat insects and produce nitrogen-rich guano.
Camp buddies...
in a sub-alpine meadow near Butte, Montana where I spent the night on Homestake Pass. The air and sky were clear, the stars were brilliant, and it got wonderfully chilly.
Prairie dogs (genus Cynomys).
A strawberry loving squirrel...
on the window sill, happily munching away on several strawberry slices I had placed out, hoping for its discovery. There are now two of these amusing creatures darting about and providing endless entertainment.
White-tailed antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus).
Heat dumping behavior...
of this tiny squirrel is very amusing to watch as it stretches out on a cooler rock surface in an effort to reduce its body heat. This spread-eagle posture is sometimes referred to as “splooting.”
White-tailed antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus).
A parched bunny on the bird bath...
during the first 100 degree day of the year.
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).
A pocket-size raider...
at the feeding stations. Super tiny and super cute.
White-tailed antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus).
Close up of the not-a-chipmunk the following day.
The diagnostic white tail.
Foraging in the early morning...
for a grassy breakfast.
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).
A red fox takes dinner...
in the front yard early this evening. Nature red in tooth and claw.
Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) enjoying dove tartare.
A burgeoning population of lizards...
are occupying the rock gardens this spring, scooting and darting about and keeping the ants under control.
Northern whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus tigris septentrionalis).
Sunning serpents...
stretched out across the singletrack today, miles apart from one another. Admittedly it was a pretty lovely day to catch some rays.
Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi).
It didn't take long...
for this greedy varmint to enter the trap, having set it only 15 minutes earlier. The lure of the peanut butter was too great for the first deportee of 2026.
Rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus).
UPDATE the following day! Two more volunteers for deportation.
Lip-smacking good drink of water...
from the birdbath this afternoon.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
A lucky cinnamon bear cub...
feasting on roadkill, encountered during the last leg of my afternoon ride along Castleton Road. Cute little one despite the bloody face and pretty chill with my presence nearby.
American black bear cub (Ursus americanus).
Soaking up residual warmth...
from a sandstone slab as the sun sets.
Striped whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus).
Ripened crabapples being enjoyed for breakfast...
by a young buck in the back yard.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
A perfect safe house...
for a hiding, but somewhat curious, badger.
American badger (Taxidea taxus).
Muley buck in velvet...
standing proudly above the Fish Lake trail this morning, gazing calmly toward the horizon and the future. This could be the logo for an insurance company.
Young male mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in velvet.
Danger on the trail...
early this morning when this unusually reddish rattler became annoyed and clearly announced its presence as I rolled by on the singletrack.
Hopi rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis nuntius), a subspecies of the prairie rattlesnake.
UPDATE: From Chris, a local BLM biologist: “Hopi rattlesnake makes sense for the color and smaller size. The taxonomy has changed recently so the subspecies is no longer recognized and is instead considered a dwarf variant of the prairie rattler.“