A SKUNK-EATING OWL, A SPECIAL COATI VISITOR, AND MORE
It has been a very long time since I have contributed to my natural history blog – more than a year has passed. Depression is a force that puts a writer down…
Ever since the January, 2025 election, I have been horrified at what has been happening in our country. My faith in my fellow man and my hope for our collective futures has been deeply eroded. Our nation has become more and more divided; a dangerous path to follow. Within the five-word title of our country, there is one word that means far more than all the others; that word is “United.” National unison is the bedrock of this nation, the fundamental core of its history, and essential to its future.
Throughout this unfolding saga, the country’s focus has been decidedly political, diverting our attentions away from the stunning amount of damage that our national leader and his entourage of sycophants have inflicted on wild lands, wildlife protection laws, and wildlife habitats.
Considering that my life’s work has centered around teaching natural history and the protection of wild lands, and that I have a love and appreciation for my country and its democratic ideals, it is no wonder that I have not been in the requisite mood to write much of anything during the past year.
Lately, however, my mood has been steadily improving. Americans are raising their voices, peacefully and actively resisting that which is fundamentally wrong. On a local level, my spirit has been lifted by the sight of a lush emergence of brilliant green grasses and other understory plants that have sprung to vivid life in our mesquite bosque and all across the valley. A return of the normal winter rains has enabled this welcome change on the land. After more than a year of drought, the surge of new growth warms my heart and mind.
In what follows, I offer a photographic and written glimpse into some of the past year’s wild happenings. The land, the plants, and the animals depicted are a reminder that the limitless beauty and wonder of the natural world is still there – to heal, inspire, and bring light to our spirits…
In late summer, I awoke early one morning to find these paint-fresh tracks of an adult black bear that had stepped over my entry steps and walked beneath my ramada, leaving its signature tracks in fine-grained, dry soil. 2025 was my best year yet for seeing Gila monsters in the wild – a total of seven sightings, five of which occurred here within our velvet mesquite bosque. This is one of those lizards, a creature that spends the great majority of its lifetime below ground, out of sight. I was lucky enough to witness this seldom-seen event for a second time last summer, when I came upon this pair of large male western diamondbacks dueling behind our shop building. Their elegant dance went on for hours. Later, I looked for and found the victor, curled up with a female rattlesnake. The two males had been following her scent trail, resulting in a meeting that quickly morphed into a struggle for mating rights. For more info. on this behavior and more images, have a look at the previous blog, accessed via this address: https://ralphwaldt.com More than twenty years had elapsed before my wife and I saw a coati on our property. We had found their tracks many times, but had never seen one here until this big bruiser of a male showed up last month. He stayed for several days after discovering a taste for the bird seed that Kathleen spreads on the ground every morning. Note the thick, winter-furred tail and the very well-developed front and hind quarters of this impressive old male. Unlike most coatis, we never saw this animal walk with its tail raised vertically in lemur fashion. I wonder if this has something to with expressing his place in the society of these social mammals. Mature males commonly spend much of each year alone, as opposed to others of their species. Photo by Kathleen Waldt. Coatis have long, flexible rostrums (a.k.a. “snouts”). Concealed within their long snouts is an intricate maze of paper-thin turbinate bones covered with an extensive network of nerves that enable the animal’s exceptional ability to smell – and thereby locate – much of their food. The powerful claws on their front feet did not evolve for fighting, nor for killing prey – they are for digging. Among the coatis that roam the Middle San Pedro Valley, digging for arthropod grubs and pupae furnishes these Sierra Madrean mammals with the bulk of their diets. Photo by Kathleen Waldt.
This huge moth fluttered by me like a bat-turned-insect one afternoon, landing upside down on the roof of my ramada. Its common name is “Black Witch Moth,” not what one would consider a flattering moniker. I did not perceive it in such a light; I saw a perfect expression of nature’s form and beauty, a creature whose wings were adorned with intricate artwork and remarkable camouflage. The less degrading name for this insect is, in technical terms, Ascalapha odorata. Autumn leaves falling from the cottonwoods that line the banks of the San Pedro River sometimes exhibit these fascinating patterns. They are the tracings of insect larvae collectively called “leaf miners.” Leaf mining is a type of behavior that involves larvae that live within a leaf, feeding on the inner tissues while leaving the epidermal (outer) layers of the leaf intact. This affords the larvae some measure of protection from predation. Leaf mining evolved in several different families of insects, including flies, beetles, and moths.
A quiet section of the San Pedro River in early November reflects an immaculate tapestry of form, light, and color, a place of quiet beauty that instills a sense peace, calm, and gratitude into its viewers.
Among the most incredibly adept fliers in the avian world are a group of hawks known as accipiters. This gorgeous Cooper’s hawk was photographed while drinking – and then bathing – in one of our bird watering dishes. I have watched these amazing hawks pursue birds (their most favored food) at breakneck speed into and through thick brush with the ease and finesse of a darting insect. Photo by Kathleen Waldt. On a broiling hot early summer day, Kathleen captured this image of an adult bobcat, standing some ten feet from our front doorway. Opening the inner door as slowly and quietly as she could, Kathleen photographed the cat through the screen door, giving the image a soft, pastel look. Among the four species of skunk that inhabit the San Pedro River Drainage, hooded skinks are the most common in the valley floor. Their lengthy and long-haired tails set them apart from the other three species. Yesterday morning, I had walked only a short distance out the door when I spotted something that was pure white at the base of a mesquite. Immediately, I thought of the tail of the hooded skunk that has been wandering our bosque almost every night for the past half year or so. Just as quickly, I realized that something wasn’t right, for the tail was entirely flat on the ground. Sure enough, it was the tail of our resident skunk, and all life had left its owner. Perched atop the body of the skunk was a great horned owl. Photo by Kathleen.
The signature plume of the skunk’s long, snow-white tail extends far beyond its predator. It is not uncommon for great horned owls to tackle prey as large and formidable as skunks and house cats. Photo by Kathleen.
The owl remained on the ground with its large meal all day long, alternating between bouts of feeding interspersed with naps. Most of the time, the bird stayed atop its prey, protecting its dinner by covering it from sight with a look that says, “I dare you!” An eruption of fresh, new growth, composed primarily of London rocket (Sisymbrium irio), and Mediterranean grass, (Schismus arabicus / barbatus), graces the mesquite forest with a verdant refulgence of color and life. Despite the fact that these understory plants are non-native, their presence shades the ground, conserving soil moisture, while providing a substantial infusion of organic matter that will help build and maintain the duff layer and enhance underlying spoil health. The vivid color of new, green plant growth has always fed my soul and never fails to paint smiles on my face.
Cherish and protect our common mother, the Earth.
Foster a deep respect and reverence for all life.
Show kindness, compassion, and respect for your fellow human beings, regardless of race, sex, language, political affiliations, or country.
Resist passing judgement on others.
Lastly, a reminder: if you are reading this in your email, you can’t see the header image for this post, nor can you access scores of my other blog posts on local natural history. For all of that, my site is easily accessed, cost-free, and obligation free: https://ralphwaldt.com
5 thoughts on “A SKUNK-EATING OWL, A SPECIAL COATI VISITOR, AND MORE”
Absolutely stunning work and descriptions in your postings. What a wonderful area you live in. I live up River from you folks and I see some things here. Just not quite the same though. I appreciate your knowledge. Thank you for your attention to detail and Kathleen’s photography.
It’s so good to hear from you again. I share your dismay at what the current administration is doing to the natural world (and everything else it is doing).
Lovely pictures.
Ralph, I am SO glad you’re writing again. This one’s “a beaut.” The images are one of a kind special. We love each critter – hard to watch them eat each other!
Last year I was renewing your book on the San Pedro River over and over at the Oro Valley library, just enjoying your (the best) stories and descriptions of all the life out there. So I bought a new copy to have for always, picking it up when I need to be reminded of the “real” world.
In the early ’90s I had a caseload of boys in a probation camp near Oracle. Had a few extra hours and drove the rental car from San Manuel on the unpaved road all the way to Benson. Not very smart but I’ll never forget it, when I fell for the unspoiled San Pedro Valley.
Thank you Ralph! It makes me happy to see this new posting. Great photos from you and Kathleen.
We’ve had the pleasure of observing the neighborhood Coati for the past 4 days here at Buzzard Gulch. It’s made for some great wildlife moments and been quite entertaining. Needless to say our 18 yr. old cat has not been out of the house and we need to keep eyes on Ysa to avoid any potentially unpleasant encounters. Mr. Coati seems to be making the rounds in the hood between your home, Gil’s, Bill and Edie’s and our place.
Living in these insanely challenging times, as hard as I try to avoid being in judgement, I have come hard up against where my personal boundaries with others lie. But, at the end of the day I am reminded of my abundant life and the richness of experiences and beauty I am fortunate to live in.
I heard recently that you were going to be performing musically at a gathering soon and that also makes me very happy to hear!
Take good care
I share your concerns about the direction of this country, my friend, and I’m so glad to see this post in my inbox. You’re pushing through, as we all must.
As always, a treasure trove of photos and captions….coatis, Gila monsters, hooded skunks, sparring rattlers.
My hope is that this is the year we finally turn this country around and away from the awfulness, for our sake as well as the sake of all things wild.
Absolutely stunning work and descriptions in your postings. What a wonderful area you live in. I live up River from you folks and I see some things here. Just not quite the same though. I appreciate your knowledge. Thank you for your attention to detail and Kathleen’s photography.
It’s so good to hear from you again. I share your dismay at what the current administration is doing to the natural world (and everything else it is doing).
Lovely pictures.
Ralph, I am SO glad you’re writing again. This one’s “a beaut.” The images are one of a kind special. We love each critter – hard to watch them eat each other!
Last year I was renewing your book on the San Pedro River over and over at the Oro Valley library, just enjoying your (the best) stories and descriptions of all the life out there. So I bought a new copy to have for always, picking it up when I need to be reminded of the “real” world.
In the early ’90s I had a caseload of boys in a probation camp near Oracle. Had a few extra hours and drove the rental car from San Manuel on the unpaved road all the way to Benson. Not very smart but I’ll never forget it, when I fell for the unspoiled San Pedro Valley.
Thank you Ralph! It makes me happy to see this new posting. Great photos from you and Kathleen.
We’ve had the pleasure of observing the neighborhood Coati for the past 4 days here at Buzzard Gulch. It’s made for some great wildlife moments and been quite entertaining. Needless to say our 18 yr. old cat has not been out of the house and we need to keep eyes on Ysa to avoid any potentially unpleasant encounters. Mr. Coati seems to be making the rounds in the hood between your home, Gil’s, Bill and Edie’s and our place.
Living in these insanely challenging times, as hard as I try to avoid being in judgement, I have come hard up against where my personal boundaries with others lie. But, at the end of the day I am reminded of my abundant life and the richness of experiences and beauty I am fortunate to live in.
I heard recently that you were going to be performing musically at a gathering soon and that also makes me very happy to hear!
Take good care
I share your concerns about the direction of this country, my friend, and I’m so glad to see this post in my inbox. You’re pushing through, as we all must.
As always, a treasure trove of photos and captions….coatis, Gila monsters, hooded skunks, sparring rattlers.
My hope is that this is the year we finally turn this country around and away from the awfulness, for our sake as well as the sake of all things wild.