Rock Squirrel or Gray Squirrel?
August 27, 2020Many squirrel species are native to the Sky Island region and appear on our wildlife cameras. The two we see most often are the rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus) and the Arizona gray squirrel (Sciurus arizonensis)—these two species can look very similar, but once…
Read more »
Where to Mount a Backyard Wildlife Camera
August 17, 2020Choosing a location for a wildlife camera in your backyard is a really fun process but may require some trial and error to get just the right perspective of animals on the move around your home….
Read more »
World Lizard Day: Lizards of the Border Wildlife Study
August 13, 2020Today is World Lizard Day! The Southwest is famous for its high diversity of lizards and is a hot bed of herpetological research. If you’ve been outside at all during the summer in the Sky Islands, there…
Read more »
How to Find the Right Backyard Wildlife Camera for You
August 11, 2020A well-placed wildlife camera in your backyard can reveal the exciting candid wildlife moments around your home that you may never see with your own two eyes. Many mammals are active at night and I love drifting off…
Read more »
Friday Fauna Feature: Pronghorn
July 31, 2020The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is the last living member of the Family Antilocapridae, that roamed North American during the Pleistocene. While the pronghorn might look like antelope, their closest living…
Read more »
90 Days and 71 Species at the Border
July 24, 2020Sky Island Alliance staff and volunteers deployed trail cameras along 34 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border in early March 2020. Our mission was to document the wildlife community living in…
Read more »
Sky Island Snake Stories
July 16, 2020ZTZTZTZTZTZTZTZTZTZTCHITCHITCHIT, chit, chit, tet, tet!!! The now familiar sound of a buzzing rattlesnake comes from the ground at my feet and all I can do is freeze in place. I…
Read more »
Friday Fauna Feature: Border Wildlife Study Pollinators
June 26, 2020We designed our Border Wildlife Study to detect vertebrate species such as mammals and birds. Surprisingly, we keep finding invertebrates on our cameras and we love the multitude of insects…
Read more »
Friday Fauna Feature: Animals Immediately Return after Fire at the Border
June 19, 2020On May 31, 2020, lightning ignited a wildfire in the San Rafael Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border at one of Border Wildlife Study camera sites. After several days, the fire reached our wildlife camera as it burned across about 400…
Read more »
Friday Creature Feature: Hooded skunk
May 22, 2020 Today’s Friday Creature Feature is the hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura). This little creature has been captured on Sky Island Alliance cameras as part of the Border Wildlife Study and…
Read more »