October 10, 2017
Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat. These kangaroo rats build large mounds. I've seen many of these mounds but have never seen the builder. I guess I just need to be here at the right time of year, in winter and colder months, they are not very active above ground. This is one of the larger species of kangaroo rat in North America.
They are fast and wary, hard to get close to. I will keep trying for better shots.
Before I left Cave Creek I saw this Gray Fox walking down the road in the middle of the day. I never saw it open its eyes, I think it must have been sick. There have been reports of possible rabid fox and skunks in the area, but it didn't have the typical symptoms of a rabid animal. Anyway, I reported it to the Forest Service.
More photos of Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rats
After I posted the last ones, I went out and found more, including one that let me get very close.
These are all shot at 200mm with a Canon 7D MII and Canon 580EX flash.
