Pronghorn

Cause of Pronghorn’s Wound; Yellowstone National Park

Photo of pronghorn doe that seems to have suffered some serious injury to her neck.
What happened to this pronghorn?

Only one person took a guess on what had happened to this pronghorn.  She guessed a bear.  A good guess.   I thought I’d get a few more people to venture a guess.  Maybe some were afraid to guess wrong.  That presumes I would be providing the answer to what happened though.  The fact of the matter is that I don’t know for sure what happened to her.  I do have my own guess though.  I think a golden eagle attacked this pronghorn.  Why?

First of all, golden eagles have been observed by credible sources (published reports by biologists) attacking and killing pronghorn adults and fawns.   The attach begins by the eagle chasing one or more pronghorns and landing on the back of one and riding it while digging its talons into the pronghorn’s back.  Most of the damage is caused by the talons, although their beaks can also inflict injury.  If you’d like to read some of these reports you can click here, here and here.

Second, someone took several photos of a golden eagle eating an adult pronghorn while riding on its back.  Based on the photos, I assume (and hope) it died shortly thereafter.  The pictures have appeared in various places on the internet.  One place to see the photos is here.  I should warn you that the photos are somewhat gruesome.  I was hesitant to link to the photos, but decided on balance to do so with the warning.  The wound to the pronghorn in the photos is in the same place as in my photo and that’s why I guess the wound is from a golden eagle.  Anything is possible though.  It could be from another animal or a vehicle or a barbed wire fence (or whatever).

She was feeding when I saw her so the attack was over by then.  I hope she survived.

Landscape

Fountain Sculpture; Tiburon, California

Photo of fountain sculpture in Tiburon.
Sails or Fins?

I lived in Tiburon for a while in the mid-1970s.   It’s a beautiful location on the north shore of San Francisco Bay.  Thanks to the hilly terrain, many residents have a view of the San Francisco Bay.  I occasionally go there to return to my Marin “roots.”  It hasn’t changed much, which I like.

One thing that wasn’t there in the 1970s is this sculpture.  It’s called “Coming About.”  I’ve read that it represents five sailboats.  When I first saw it I thought of shark fins.  That also seemed fitting given that Tiburon is Spanish for “shark.”     Some think the sails remind them of birds’ wings.  That would also be fitting given the number of seagulls that hang out at several waterside restaurants.  The sails slowly rotate.   The Guaymas and Servino restaurants provide a backdrop to the scene.

Landscape

Corinthian Island at Twilight

Photo of the west side of Corinthian Island.
Corinthian Island at Twilight

Corinthian Island is one of two inhabited islands on the Tiburon Peninsula.  It straddles a jurisdictional line separating Tiburon and Belvedere, California.

This photo was taken during twilight which is that time between sunset, when reds dominate, and dusk when there is no light (or color) to be seen, except to the extent the moon (or artificial light) is a factor.  During twilight, blues become dominant.  Twilight is sometimes referred to by photographers and painters as the blue hour or “l’heure bleue.”  The length of twilight is determined by the latitude of the observer.  Around the San Francisco Bay Area I think of it as lasting roughly half an hour. Twilight is also that time between dawn and sunrise.  It is a great time to photograph.  It’s also a great time to see wildlife.  Some animals are most active during the twilight hours.  They are referred to as “crepuscular.”

Next time you plan to photograph at sunrise or sunset don’t forget twilight time.  For two good programs to tell you when twilight is for your area, click here and here.

Other Mammal

Uinta Ground Squirrel, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of a Uinta ground squirrel.
On the Lookout

The Uinta ground squirrel is commonly seen in the sagebrush areas of Yellowstone.  It’s also seen in disturbed or heavily grazed grasslands and  developed areas.  The Soda Butte Creek Picnic Area has a lot of them.  While prohibited, I’m sure some people feed them there.  They not only eat grasses, forbs and mushrooms, but also insects and carrion (including road-killed members of their own species).

While not very high on visitors’ lists of “must see” animals, they are important to the Yellowstone ecosystem because they are an important prey species for smaller predators such as hawks, weasels, foxes, badgers and coyotes.  At about 12 inches in length and half a pound, they are a more substantial meal than a 2-ounce vole.

Photo of a red fox carrying a ground squirrel.
Headin’ Home

This red fox carried this ground squirrel parallel to the road for about a 1/4 mile before it headed away from the road.  It created its own little “bear jam.”  I assume it was heading back to a den with hungry kits.

Other Bird

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of a male yellow-headed blackbird singing for a mate.
Singing for a Mate

When I drove out to the Lamar Valley each day this past May I would usually check out the road to the Slough Creek campground.  It’s a good drive for finding bison, pronghorns and coyotes in the spring.  It’s also a prime area for wolves and grizzlies.  I would often see this male yellow-headed blackbird as I drove past a small marshy area along the road.

Yellow-heads are a little smaller than their red-winged cousins and not as common.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before in Yellowstone.  I know I’ve never photographed one there before.