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Native Californian, biologist, wildlife conservation consultant, retired Smithsonian scientist, father of two daughters, grandfather of four. INTJ. Believes nature is infinitely more interesting than shopping malls. Born 100 years too late.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

A Lone Ranger in the gulch

The night flier and a grounded rodent.

A chance photo of a bat is always icing on the cake.

Identifying bats from photos like this one is a guessing game, but sometimes you get a hunch from some diagnostic feature like those teeny weenie bat feet.




The night flier with the Lone Ranger mask was possibly the Western small-footed myotis, Myotis ciliolabrum, which we have previously camera trapped at the Chimineas.

Whatever it is, the image brings to mind a staccato hi-frequency voice amidst the nocturnal buzz and chirps of crickets, a piping poorwill, and the imagined footfalls of predators in the arroyo.

And there were other stunt fliers.



Night life in Badger Head Gulch is a contrast to the hushed stillness of the summer afternoon when we set our camera.

6 comments:

JK said...

What an epic set!

Joe said...

That is a great shot.

Zach said...

Bats=cool. Fact.

Anonymous said...

Is that a wood rat coming and going?

Camera Trap Codger said...

I think so, anon

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God Bless You :-)

~Ron