Wild Life, or Jave you seen My Javelina?
On a recent road skirmish (I'm like my Dad, I like taking back roads) I managed a hat-trick on wildlife shots in one day.
The little piece of road upon which we found all of these critters ran between Ft. Davis, Texas to U.S. 90, just east of Valentine, TX.
Meet the Javelina, a critter in the same order (artiodactyla) as the barnyard pig, but with enough differences to score a place in a different family tayassuidae. The Javelina ranges from the Southwestern U.S. to the very tip of the Southern Cone, in Argentina.
The Javelina is a relative new-comer to North America, having arrived in the 17th or 18th century. It's a pretty interesting looking critter!
We also enjoy tons of antelope, here are a pair of pronghorn that seemed pretty interested in what I was doing:
The following photograph is of one of my favorite birds, the Raven. Now, I'm not an ornithologist, so I can't tell for certain if this bird is a Chihuahan Raven or a Common Raven, as far as I know it could be either. Considering we were in the high Chihuahan desert, either species is a possibility. I love the size and power of the Raven, and their calls. I also believe they are very intelligent and crafty birds. I don't believe that old superstition about the Raven being a bad omen, on the contrary, I think it is good luck to see one.
I found a fourth critter, but it turned out to be extinct. It was an old-time, honest-to-goodness filling station slap in the middle of nowhere:
A couple of thoughts from behind the lens...
The little piece of road upon which we found all of these critters ran between Ft. Davis, Texas to U.S. 90, just east of Valentine, TX.
Meet the Javelina, a critter in the same order (artiodactyla) as the barnyard pig, but with enough differences to score a place in a different family tayassuidae. The Javelina ranges from the Southwestern U.S. to the very tip of the Southern Cone, in Argentina.
The Javelina is a relative new-comer to North America, having arrived in the 17th or 18th century. It's a pretty interesting looking critter!
We also enjoy tons of antelope, here are a pair of pronghorn that seemed pretty interested in what I was doing:
The following photograph is of one of my favorite birds, the Raven. Now, I'm not an ornithologist, so I can't tell for certain if this bird is a Chihuahan Raven or a Common Raven, as far as I know it could be either. Considering we were in the high Chihuahan desert, either species is a possibility. I love the size and power of the Raven, and their calls. I also believe they are very intelligent and crafty birds. I don't believe that old superstition about the Raven being a bad omen, on the contrary, I think it is good luck to see one.
I found a fourth critter, but it turned out to be extinct. It was an old-time, honest-to-goodness filling station slap in the middle of nowhere:
A couple of thoughts from behind the lens...
posted by Mark A. at 8:17 PM
1 Comments:
You'll never have to worry about those first three. That last one was killed by electronic ignition and fuel injection.
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