Everytime I go hiking I find little places under tree roots or rocks and I think “ what a great place for a snake!” But never see one, so I was ecstatic when I thought that about these exposed roots and sure enough there was a beautiful rattlesnake hanging out

So in love with our baby swallows. We think one is a barn swallow and one is a cliff swallow. Usually these guys don’t eat well in care but these guys are chowing down. Since they eat on the wing they never quite figure out how to eat on their own so they need to be hand fed up to release

Amazing that a place like this exists just an hour away from Tucson. Mt Lemmon has some beautiful hikes that can still be done even during heat waves

Our baby ravens are growing up so fast! They are now outside in a flight conditioning pen and hopefully will be able to be released soon!

Baby Cooper’s hawks are coming in at an alarming rate. In the June heat they jump from their nests which makes them more susceptible to injury, predation and kidnapping from humans. Healthy babies are often picked up even when parents are still in the area taking care of them. Renest if possible!

This spotted ground squirrel is my newest obsession. We have so many different species of ground squirrel but he is the first spotted we have gotten into care

Our baby raccoon was depressed without her mom and siblings and not eating. Once she figured out the formula bowl she lost her little mind about it

Still just a baby herself this northern mockingbirds instincts kicked in big time when we put a young nestling in her enclosure. We try to always make sure our babies have conspecifics to grow up with to prevent habituation but we didn’t expect her to take on the role of mom ❤️

Freshly hatched baby roadrunner

This poor bobcat kitten was hit by a car and suffered a broken humerus. She was also very neuro and needs to be syringe fed until she is more stable. The finder was an EMT and tried administering aid but wildlife is very different from human medicine and it just resulted in more trauma.

2 years ago I was in Peru hiking the Inca Trail which was one of the best trips I’ve ever done. By the end of the hike everyone else was exhausted and I felt like I could keep going forever. Not having any responsibilities and being out in nature all day rejuvenated me.

This spicy baby Gila monster was stuck on a glue trap and luckily received no serious injuries. We were able to release her back in her area. Please don’t use glue traps. They are illegal in other countries for a reason

Roadtrip home to NM to help my mom with things around the house. Nice change from Tucson heat but we are all wiped out

My favorite thing about teaching baby birds to self feed is when they gape at the food like the worm is going to jump in there for them. “Get in my belly!”

We got babies!! Baby squirrels (3 different species), baby coyotes, packrats, mice, raccoon and bobcat. And those are just the mammals 🙃

Our baby Harris Antelope squirrels are some of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. They may look like chipmunks but they don’t have the correct facial markings. These are actually a species of small ground squirrel

The babies. They demand to be fed!

I often daydream about my trip to Rome. It was unexpectedly one of my favorite trips. The people, the history, and the food! The best food I have ever had. I am hoping to get the chance to explore more of Italy one day

First baby bobcat of the year

Rehoming brancher great horned owlet after his parents build a nest on a fricken metal tower. His sibling was just sitting in a nest of wires. At this age they leave the nest but hang out close - on branches. Which is hard when there are none. Mom saw him and went to him after we put him nearby

Had to stop and move smol friend off the road. Please forgive my baby voice 🤣

Baby quail starting to trickle in one month earlier than they have been recorded before. This baby season is wild

Our baby cactus wren is almost getting the hang of hunting on his own but it’s just so tricky when things can run away from you

We have to color code our finches so we know who is who. I think it makes them look like punk rockers

Beautiful views on Linda Vista trail

The cutest baby roadrunner

We were able to reunite this juvenile javelina back with her herd after she was in care with us for several weeks due to severe dehydration and upper respiratory distress. You can see her mom and siblings slow down to allow her to join the herd then carry on like they had never been parted

Exhausting day yesterday as I woke up,drove 4 hours to New Mexico, stopped at the store, made dinner for my mom for her birthday, saw my grandma who is on hospice, my uncle just diagnosed with lung cancer, and then 4 hour drive back to AZ. Worth it for this amazing person I’m blessed to call mom

We are well into baby season already so here are a few of my favorite photos this week

I have not been posting lately because both of my cats have been sick. My boy had a complication from his dental and my baby caught a kitty cold or something. My days have been spent with spoon feeding, giving fluids, giving meds and trying to keep them comfortable. I feel like Im falling apart

A big reason to start working out more. This coyote was in severe pain. Two broken legs, glaucoma in both eyes causing one eye to swell, mange, and multiple open sores from valley fever. He still outran us for .5 mile and then I had to carry him back to the van. I’m glad we were able to catch him

Post dental haze. Pod got 8 teeth removed and has a mouth full of stitches. Poor guy will be sore and sleepy for a bit but once he heals I am hoping a lot of his other health concerns will be resolved as well

Our Harris hawk is fighting lead poisoning even though they are not a species commonly affected by lead. Wearing hoods help keep them calm while the boots help them hold their feet in an appropriate position to keep them from clenching and injuring themselves. He is very curious and watches us

Had an absolute blast at the Arizona Renaissance fair today.

We took in one of the worst cases of mange I have ever seen. We were told it was a coyote by the people who found him and our brains just accepted that and treated him even though we made a lot of jokes about him being a dog but I don’t think any of us expected to see a dog in this condition

We got in some nestling lesser goldfinches who are close to fledgling age. It’s only February!! I love their grumpy old man faces 🤣

Our Sonoran desert opossum was finally able to be released!! After having surgery to remove a piece of bone from her sinuses she made a full recovery and is ready for a life back out in the wild

Caught a bug this week but had the best little nurses taking care of me

Where is my breakfast peasants!! The javelinas all have so much sass

We are fighting hard against the clock for this ringtail cat that got into rodent poison. We started him on IV fluids, gave medications to control seizures, pumped his stomach, gave activated charcoal. We even went back in at midnight to give him another dose. His feces looks like the poison

Our warm winter means snakes are out. Be mindful when out hiking or biking. They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them but there are always other circumstances you might not know about l. This guy had just been hit by a bicycle and thought everyone else coming up the path was a threat

These two bunnies are the same age. One weighs 50g and the other 27gThe top bunny was with mom until it got caught by a cat this morning. The bottom one was kept by the finder for 3 days while they attempted to feed it kitten milk. Which one do you think has a chance of surviving? Dont DIY wildlife

Round tail ground squirrel release! This guy came in a few weeks ago after being found cold and lifeless in a humane trap. The end of his tail had been caught in the door and a small section had to be amputated. He is a big breeding male so I am sure he is stoked to get back out where he belongs!

Our bobcats health check went really well. Really happy with how easy it was to get her into her crate to sedate her. It made the whole process less dangerous for her and us and there were no hard feelings afterward. Working with the ambassador bobcats has been one of the highlights of this job

When the wildlife comes to you

Had a great time during my lunch break watching this pocket gopher do its thing

Got to visit with some friends from Chicago. Loved exploring Tucson a little with them. Was good to not feel so alone and be reminded I do have a support group

Gopher (aka bull) snakes have a cool defense mechanism. They will hiss while moving their tail quickly to make it sound like a rattlesnake. Bonus if the can hide the tail under leaf litter and get that extra rattle effect. This gets predators to back off and give them some space

Mange is a pretty serious ailment that affects a lot of species, but we see it a lot in coyotes. It’s caused by a parasitic mite that burrows into the skin causing itching and irritation. It leads to hair loss, open sores and poor body condition as they itch too much to hunt well. It is treatable