My Wildlife Year

tanjabrittonwriter 73 Comments

When reviewing photos for my last post, “My Colorado Wildflower Year,” I also enjoyed seeing images of wildlife I encountered in 2023, and I thought you might, too. A few of these were included in previous posts; others I hope to incorporate into future ones.

Astute readers will detect the omission of “Colorado” in this post’s title. While 11 out of 12 pictures were taken in Colorado, one originated in Germany, the destination of my late autumn travels. Maybe you also notice that the subject of that photo is more colorful than its fellow portraitees (if this isn’t a word, it should be), which is why I also used it on top to catch your eye.

When glancing at the entire gallery, I was reminded of the fact that many animals in the wild wear muted tones, in order to blend into their surroundings and avoid notice by possible predators. This is in contrast to flowers, who clamor for the attraction of all nearby pollinators by donning bright and gaudy garments, as my previous post attests.

You might also be struck by the fact that for most of the year, the vegetation in the images appears rather dun, with predominant shades of blond, beige, and brown. Such is the reality of living in a semi-arid climate with an average precipitation of 15.9 inches (409 mm). The verdant growth of June and July was thanks to above-average rainfalls in May and June which exceeded our average total annual precipitation and also resulted in a brief period when the entire area of Colorado was out of drought. Alas, that blissful chapter was short-lived and nearly 30% of the state is back in varying stages of dryness. The photo of the European Squirrel above and below shows how much greenery was still present late in the year in Germany, something we never experience here at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

My husband and I are fortunate to live in a place where wildlife still roves somewhat free. Somewhat, because habitat encroachment, if not destruction, by roads, residential or commercial developments, or recreational activities are true threats. It’s heartbreaking when I see more dead raccoons and skunks than live ones. 2023 did not include eye-to-eye moments with some of Colorado’s wilder denizens, such as bears or bobcats, and while it is intriguing to imagine a meeting with a mountain lion, it’s best to limit those to a controlled setting, such as provided by our Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. To circle back once more to Red Squirrels, they are among the few wild animals we come across in Germany, apart from deer, which reflects that high human population densities and high agricultural use of the land don’t leave much room for wild things to roam.

Without further ado, I present you another review of 2023, highlighting some of my cherished encounters with our more-than-human relatives.

January 2023:

(Black-tailed) Perceptive Prairie Dog at Bluestem Prairie Open Space, El Paso County, January 27; Previously featured in “Winter’s Faces“

February 2023:

Bellwethering Bighorn Sheep at Garden of the Gods, El Paso County, February 6; Previously featured in “Never a Dull Moment“

March 2023:

Alert Abert’s Squirrel at Manitou Lake, Teller County, March 10

April 2023:

Mellow Muskrat at Desert Canyon Farm in Cañon City, Fremont County, April 27

May 2023:

Prickly Porcupine at Chico Basin Ranch, El Paso County, May 17; Previously featured in “Where to Nap?”

June 2023:

Mild-mannered Mule Deer at Quail Lake Park, El Paso County, June 17

July 2023:

Cute Cottontail Rabbit at Rock Ledge Ranch, El Paso County, July 8

August 2023:

Rascally Racoon at Monument Valley Park, El Paso County, August 9

September 2023:

Pausing Pronghorn, Chico Basin Ranch, El Paso County, September 25

October 2023:

Busy Beaver at Sinton Pond Open Space, El Paso County, October 30

November 2023:

(Eurasian) Ravishing Red Squirrel, Eich-Gimbsheimer Altrhein, Rheinland-Palatine, Germany; More on this encounter in a future post. I had to fib a little, once again. While I saw these squirrels in November, I didn’t get a satisfactory photo until December 3.

December 2023:

Curious Coyote at Chico Basin Ranch, El Paso County, December 29; More on this encounter in a future post

Looking forward to more wildlife encounters in 2024.

73 thoughts on “My Wildlife Year”

  4. Such a great set of photos and I love your descriptives of each critter! I mean, Rascally Raccoon–is there any other kind? And yes, that red squirrel really is ravishing. Sweet post, Tanja!

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  5. How lucky you are to live in such a pristine environment that encourages wildlife to roam. Wonderful close-ups too. I feel like I’m there with you watching and admiring the wildlife.

    Having said that, I saw a fox near the back of a house in an inner suburban cobblestoned laneway about 2 km from Melbourne City. The owner of the house said this fox visits often and is probably a descendent of foxes brought out to Australia in the first settlement as they are not indigenous to this country. Same with rabbits.

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    • Thank you, Vicki, I do feel very fortunate to still be able to have these kinds of happy-making encounters.
      I’m always amazed by how animals adapt to urban areas, be they native to a country or not. It would be very interesting to spend some time outdoors at night to watch all the goings-on that we miss while we are asleep!

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      • I agree, Tanja.
        When I was still living on the south-east side of Melbourne, I would always raise the block-out blinds and leave my camera next to the balcony door. Even from my indoor space, it was interesting to see the possums visit my garden.

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    • Thank you, Wally. These are the type of encounters that make me happy, and it’s nice to be able to share some of that happiness.
      Here is to a new year filled with more of these kinds of experiences for all of us.

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  14. I’m quite a fan of prairie dogs and raccoons, and your photos capture them wonderfully well. I’ve yet to see a beaver or a porcupine, although I have seen pronghorns. Don’t they have wonderful eyelashes?

    This may amuse you. I have a couple of antique copper molds hanging in my kitchen. I couldn’t figure out why the one with a squirrel showed such odd ears. Now, I know: it was made by someone (or some company) familiar with squirrel species like the ones you show here. It might well be European.

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    • I think I’m a fan of all these animals and it’s impossible for me to pick a favorite. Just looking into their eyes does something to my soul.
      I also love the long eyelashes that pronghorn and deer have.
      Your copper molds sound like fun. I’m glad if my photos helped you answer one of life’s persistent questions (to quote Garrison Keillor). 😊

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  21. Excellent photographs, especially that beautiful red squirrel. I’ve never seen one, despite living in Scotland for so long. (And of course it’s just grey squirrels here in the East of England.)

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  23. Ah! It’s good to see your beautiful photos of wildlife as a way to begin the new year. I mourn the fact that I don’t get to see as much in real life as I once used to…yesterday I spied a lone deer by the side of a busy road and was both thrilled and anxious, hoping it would not meet with any terrible human encounters. Looking forward to experiencing what your neck of the woods will look like through your perspective in 2024.

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  26. Das “Schummeln” hat sich wirklich gelohnt! Es ist schön, an Orten leben zu können, die Wildtieren ihren Raum lässt. Das bedauere ich in Deutschland zutiefst. Viele Konflikte sind vorprogrammiert so wie derzeit mit dem Wolf. VG Simone

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    • Ich danke dir, liebe Simone. Wenn ich in Deutschland bin, fällt mir immer auf, wie wenig Wildtiere ich dort sehe, und das macht mich traurig. Hier gab es natürlich auch noch viel mehr, aber es ist wunderschön, daß man noch so einigen begegnen kann.
      Es tut mir leid, daß meine Antwort so lange gedauert hat. Irgendwie ist Dein Kommentar im Spam gelandet, und ich habe ihn erst heute gesehen.
      Liebe Grüße,
      Tanja

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      • WordPress hat halt manchmal so seine Phasen 😉
        Ja, die Wildtierquote könnte tatsächlich höher sein. Aber sicherlich würde es dann auf der anderen Seite auch viel mehr Todesopfer in diesem dicht besiedelten Land geben. Für mich ist die Expansionsgrenze des Menschen schon lange erreicht. Es ist schön dort zu wohnen, wo Du lebst… VG Simone

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      • Das mit der Expansionsgrenze sehe ich genauso wie Die, liebe Simone. Nur leider gibt es darüber keinen Konsenus, und keine reelle Möglichkeit, das Wachstum einzuschränken.
        Ich finde es hier auch sehr schön. 😊

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  28. Loved the wildlife review and now have me motivated to do a similar summary at Intrigued – when I get back home of course. I tell everyone the best part of maintaining a blog is being able to look back and basically have a historical record of your life’s encounters. Great job.

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