EISPIRATEN

I set up a trailcam at the Blue Spring guzzler, a set of water tanks installed to preserve water for wildlife. These were set up in several places around the park by charitable foundations and are maintained by volunteers and rangers. This one is about 8 miles south of highway 78 at the end of Bighorn Canyon. You can reach it via Pinyon Wash (high clearance). What interested me about this area were the bones, lots of bones:







Naturally, I wanted to see what left them behind. After climbing a local peak, I left a trailcam at the guzzler (a water tray fed by the tanks). Six weeks later, I picked it up and got a fox, ringtail(!) and cougar. I was surprised to NOT see any coyotes or bighorn, but maybe it is not hot enough for them yet.






Ringtail








Youtube video of the animals

Cool finds! Do you generally find more bones in Anza than in other places? I'm getting that sense for some reason.

dima wrote: Cool finds! Do you generally find more bones in Anza than in other places? I'm getting that sense for some reason.

In general, yes, I think I find more bones in the desert. Remember that huge pile of bones we found below San Ysidro East? Probably more to find because there is less undergrowth. The Gabes tend to swallow things naturally over time while the desert leaves them exposed.

BTW, when I picked up the camera, the skull was gone. I think someone took it because it was too heavy for a storm to have moved it far. It must have weighed at least 20 pounds.

Fascinating post. I once stumbled upon a bighorn skull and, as you indicate, they can be heavy. 20 lbs does not seem like an exaggeration at all.
Thank you for sharing.
Bernard
p.s. I hope to contribute more and better. Have been lurking forever on this great board.

LARiver wrote: Fascinating post. I once stumbled upon a bighorn skull and, as you indicate, they can be heavy. 20 lbs does not seem like an exaggeration at all.
Thank you for sharing.
Bernard
p.s. I hope to contribute more and better. Have been lurking forever on this great board.

Welcome. Yeah, It was heavier than expected, surprised me.

That's prime real estate in the cougar kingdom.