Who Comes By Night?

As we dream––here in Portal, Arizona––the world outside is hopping! (Sometimes literally.)

Gray Foxes come almost nightly to water during dry spells. Desert Cottontails are here, night and day.

A thirsty Desert Cottontail

Cats stalk in, big and small.

Mountain Lion drinking
A wary Bobcat

Canids too!

A pair of sleek Gray Foxes

Unlike the usually-silent foxes, Songdogs may announce their arrival.

Coyotes, Portal home, 12 May 21

Who would have known that FOUR skunks live here?

The often-seen Striped Skunk

A much rarer skunk––the Hooded––has variable pelage. The dark form is the easiest to identify.

Dark morph Hooded Skunk

We hadn’t known that Hognosed Skunks lived at our house, until the camera caught this one!

Hognosed Skunk

And our favorite, the tiny Spotted Skunk:

Spotted Skunk

The desert drought can bring together unlikely companions.

A Spotted Skunk and a Gray Fox enjoy a drink.

Owls come to bathe and drink.

A Western Screech Owl lands on a small island of rocks.

At the end of December, that water’s cold!

Bath time for a Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl

Diamondbacks have compelling business:

Two male Western Diamondbacks engage in a dominance dance.

Ringtails are among the most charming of nighttime visitors.

Ringtail

Raccoons are convinced that the The Bearbath holds goodies:

Raccoon fishing

And WHY do we call the big pond “The Bearbath”? You need a daytime photo to see that!

Black Bear enjoying The Bearbath

What creatures share your home? Get a TrailCam to find out! These photos were taken with Browning cameras, a Patriot and a StrikeForce. Of the two, the Patriot works better for me. Only a single mode setting worked on the StrikeForce, and finding that setting required several nights of experimenting.

Research more to find what suits your needs, and if you find one you really like, let me know!

(All photos by Narca, or, rather, by Narca’s trail cameras)

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