Ringtail and skunk

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Photos, Travel, Tucson Leave a Comment

A ringtail and hooded skunk, Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.
A ringtail and hooded skunk, Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.

I know I have commented over the years as to how surprised I am with how many animals will share the water hole at the same time – especially skunks with others.  Here is a hooded skunk on his way to the waterhole which is just out of the frame on the right, with a ringtail watching!  Crazy.   This ringtail is at the spot a placed some catnip.  

For this image I used three flashes, one camera right, one camera left, and a I added a third one behind the log for highlights.

Hooded Skunk

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Photos, Travel, Tucson 1 Comment

Hooded skunk, Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.
Hooded skunk, Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.

A hooded skunk.  I added a big log and a little catnip to the water hole – this guy seemed to approve!  Another desert animal with an amazing tail!

Dove

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Photos, Travel, Tucson 1 Comment

Morning dove, Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.
Morning dove, Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.

My newest blind, my morning location now has a 12 foot by 12 foot reflection table.  I final had a chance to do a little photography there yesterday.

I hope to post more about all the changes I have made here over the last month in the days to come.

Ringtail Photo

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Photos, Travel, Tucson 2 Comments

Ringtail Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.
Ringtail Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.

On the last full night of 2019, I was able to watch a bobcat, a ringtail and a gray fox! What a treat! Plus, my trail camera captured javelina and two kinds of skunk. So I decided I needed to get my camera trap setup going – I have had a few challenges with the Olympus and battery life, but seem to have it dialed in now. Here is a ringtail from last night.

Ringtail

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Photos, Travel, Tucson Leave a Comment

Ringtail cat, Desert Photo Retreat near Tucson, Arizona.
Ringtail cat, Desert Photo Retreat near Tucson, Arizona.

A ringtail!!!  This is our new regular, I think he has a den nearby and seems really curious by us.  Such a thrill!  These guys are rarely seen. This was handheld as I sat by the campfire with my Olympus E-M1X with a 40-150 f/2.8 lens at 140 and 2.8.  ISO 6400 and 1/15 of a second, the in body stabilization continues to amaze me! 

Northern Mockingbird

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Photos, Travel, Tucson 1 Comment

Northern Mockingbird at the Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.
Northern Mockingbird at the Desert Photo Retreat, near Tucson, Arizona.

This mockingbird was captured recently from our lower blind thanks to the Pro Capture “time machine” mode with my new Olympus.

Baby Javelina

Ron NiebruggeArizona, Photos, Travel, Tucson Leave a Comment

A baby javelina at the Desert Photo Retreat near Tucson, Arizona.
A baby javelina at the Desert Photo Retreat near Tucson, Arizona.

I have been really busy modifying the photo blinds and getting ready for the season, so I haven’t had time for photography yet – However, I couldn’t resist grabbing a photo of this cute little guy. Our javelina group has two little ones so far this year.