That Moment When You Realize You are a Bit Different.

I was at a cocktail party/gathering last night and was chatting with folks about my camping trip this week in the desert. The discussion turned to photography and how I had got the nice coyote shots. Without thinking I started telling about finding a dead mule deer, most likely a mountain lion kill, and dragging the carcass to a better spot in good light and hunkering down in the sagebrush to take photos of what ever showed up to eat it. I was thinking Golden Eagle as I had scared one off the deer when hiking up the canyon but this coyote showed up and I snapped away. I then realized I had lost everyone at the dragging the carcass part.

I never stopped to think that my behavior is out of the norm but the expressions on folks faces kind of told me that it is. I have to smile I guess.

Thank goodness I have people in my life who put up with my weird behavior for the sake of a photo.

This year I have started venturing further off the beaten track in search of wild places and wilder animals. I am working on overcoming a lifelong fear of the dark and have been camping out alone. So far so good but I do wish the little critters would not make so much noise at night trying to get into my food. My imagination runs a bit at 2:00 AM.

On this trip I visited Upper High Rock Canyon. Added a new bird to my life list with this Long-eared Owl. I couldn’t get a better shot of it as it was in thick trees but it was a thrill to see one. The coyote, I have mentioned. It got pretty close before the camera shutter sound scared it off. Isn’t amazing how well they blend in to their surroundings?

59 thoughts on “That Moment When You Realize You are a Bit Different.”

  2. Excellent! Love the second owl shot, the coyote peering through the brush and the camp. None of the important people in my life, the people that I have admired and respected the most, could be found in the middle of a bell curve. Good luck … and remember to always have a Plan B!!! 🙂

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  3. Sounds like a wonderful time! One of The Holler coyotes got so close to me, I had to clap and yell at him to get him to leave. The roadrunner was tormenting him and he was parking his head off in broad daylight. Your coyote looks so healthy.

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    1. It was. These coyotes are very healthy. Lots of rodents in the desert to eat and they are far from the bad influences and habits of human habituation. Thanks for visiting! 🙂

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  4. I can relate, Alison, about being afraid of the dark. But, I am 100% convinced that there are no monsters under my bed. I absolutely know that there aren’t any. However, I still keep my feet under the covers……….just in case. 🙂

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  5. Love the owl shots. I think owls are truly something special.

    Well, we made it to Sheldon. Spent too much time chasing for a good spot to catch the eclipse. Forgot to pack the tripod. But all was not lost. We were awakened by a small herd of beautiful wild horses. There was a glimpse of a coyote in the distance, but not a shot worth keeping. 😦

    BTW we sleep in the van, so the monsters in the dark aren’t quite so threatening. However, during our last night out in the Fremont National Forest, the van WAS attacked by a rather large wood rat! 😉

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    1. I love owls too and always feel blessed if I see one. I see lots of Great Horned owls but this was a first.

      Where did you camp on the Sheldon? The BLM has worked hard to remove all wild horses from the Sheldon so that small herd is probably on borrowed time. Count yourselves lucky to have seen them.

      I would like to have something more substantial than a tent but it’s not in the cards. A wood rat!? Yuck. Glad I am just dealing with chipmunks thus far.

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      1. It was all rather crazy. My partner had us roaming along those dusty roads out past Gooch ‘Lake’, looking for a vantage point up higher to catch the eclipse. We did find a wide spot in the road, but then there was the missing tripod and the clouds were obscuring the moon. That was when we decided to look for a spot to camp. All I know is we headed up some dirt roads (totally dark by then) that looked very iffy for the van. We ultimately crossed the highway and followed the signs to the campground (Big Spring?) We weren’t entirely sure we actually found the campground, but parked the van somewhere close.

        I wasn’t quite awake when Eric made the announcement about the horses. He even managed a couple of video clips of them heading toward us before I managed to crawl out of the sleeping bag. I’ll be posting some still shots of them once I get them sorted. Oddly enough, once we had stopped for the night, I took a wild shot of the red moon. It turned out far better than I ever imagined, but handheld at 2.0 sec. it’s pretty fuzzy and distorted – still fun though.

        I felt very lucky to have seen the horses. They seemed to be coming right toward us and weren’t at all spooked at us moving around and taking their pictures. It was utterly amazing. I’m sad to hear they’re likely to get “removed”?

        As for the wood rat (aka pack rat)… they’re not your pointy nosed, skinny tailed typical city rat. They’re actually rather cute (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushy-tailed_woodrat) -like a large furry mouse. It’s just that it was rattling around under the hood of the van and Eric was worried that he might chew on some wires and get us stranded. Just part of the adventure. Have to say you have guts camping out there by yourself. It took me 71 years to find my dream partner to camp with and I consider myself blessed.

  6. Beautiful shot! I turned the “click” sound off on my camera and have been able to get shots I wouldn’t be able to otherwise – of both animals & outdoors, as well as people (weddings & special events). All I did was change the default settings in order to silence the click sound. It may help you out there with the extra sensitive hearing critters. 😊

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  7. Don’t worry Alison, you should see my eyes glaze over when people start talking about the latest news from the stock exchange or some or other new cellphone gadget…

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  9. Actually, you got my attention at …dead mule deer. 🙂 It’s the same when people talk about their jobs. What might be right for some, may not be for others. Great photos.

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  13. I’m not much of a camper, but I did notice last year when I camped out for my mustang tracking ride that when you’re in a tent noises coming from across the way can seem like they’re right on the other side of your tent door. It took a while for me to realize that the crunchy footsteps I was hearing were not some wild animal circling my tent. As for the deer carcass, I would have loved to have been there to hear that story. Not the least bit off-putting. What I like about the coyote shots is how the colors of the coyote’s coat blend so absolutely with the brushy landscape.

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    1. Ha ha, yes I know that noises are being greatly exaggerated but they bother me all the same. I agree, it is just amazing how well they blend into the sagebrush. Thanks for visiting and commenting. 🙂

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  18. Very nice work, but my favorites are the second owl shot and the first coyote shot – it’s blended so well. I could share a camping story about a rat that wanted to camp with me, but that might keep you from future camping.

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