Snakes, squirrels, and pupfish

Just a quick update on the critters I’ve been seeing at the Park. This beautiful snake

is about a third of a longnosed snake I saw on a trail the other day… .
These little guys

are a family of round-tailed ground squirrels. The pups chase each other and wrestle like kittens or puppies. And speaking of pups,

here are Pupfish, an endangered species we are breeding at the Park. They can live in water up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit! And the males become fluorescent blue when they are in the mood, as these ones obviously are.

Quail update

I’ve been spending more time looking at nature at Tohono Chul Park than in my own backyard. But I am trying to keep an eye on the quail. There are still some roosting in the dorm tree out front, but I think most of them are with their young families.
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen too many families, either here, or while out walking in the neighborhood, or in the Park. I don’t know if numbers are down or if, like everything else, quail baby season was somewhat delayed this year.
I have 1-3 families with 4-6 chicks each. I’m not sure. None of them spends much time at the quail block, though I’ve seen them drinking from the pond in the back. Above is  a picture of a quail couple I saw at TCP.