Wildlife in the 'Hood

Tucson, surprisingly to some, has a fair amount of wildlife in the city. There are green - well, desert - spaces for critters to inhabit, despite the extensive development and sprawl. Although housing density is pretty high in some areas, it is not uncommon to find lots ranging from 1/5th of an acre up to half an acre within the city limits. There are city and county parks scattered about, including long linear parks along washes.

The various large washes running through the city are usually dry and partially filled with brush and some trees. During rains, however, they can run with water. Currently, several washes have been running with water for weeks due to our wet winter. Snowmelt from the mountains also drains into these washes so they are expected to have water in them for a while yet. During the summer monsoon season, when we can experience torrential downpours, the washes occasionally fill up to near capacity, threatening to overflow their banks.

A couple of years ago, a friend and I were walking along the path at the top of one of these washes and watched the water rise up to the banks. We stood on a pedestrian bridge spanning the wash until nerves drove us off. Feeling the bridge shake as large debris slammed into the pilings was a reminder of how powerful nature can be. Watching a huge metal tank, the size of a semi truck, going downstream was even more exciting. It bobbed and spun in the roiling water, standing up on end just before reaching a bridge with vehicular traffic traveling on it. We were relieved to see it slip under the bridge at the last moment. It came to a rest, and still sits, on the bottom of the wash a couple hundred yards beyond the bridge.

But, back to the wildlife. These washes provide habitat and corridors for wildlife to live and travel between the mountains and the city. While most of us just see small round-tailed ground squirrels, cottontail rabbits, and the occasional coyote in town, some people find bobcats and black bears in their back yards. And I'm not just talking about folks living right in the mountain foothills, either. Two friends of mine that live in the city in less heavily developed areas have seen bobcats in their yards.

In our neighborhood, we have a resident pair of coyotes that we occasionally see on our morning walks with the dogs. We also see hawks frequently and are thrilled to watch a pair of Cooper's Hawks starting a nest in a large pine tree just a couple of streets away from us. We have not located the nest for the Harris Hawks we see occasionally but suspect it is closer to the large wash a couple of miles north of us.

In our trips out to the new place, we have already seen quite a few birds, rabbits, and ground squirrels. Since it is closer to the mountains than our current home, we suspect we may see more of the bigger wildlife than we do in town. This was confirmed yesterday when one of the neighbors came over to introduce himself while we were doing our inspection. He told us javelina (peccaries, not wild boar or pigs) and bobcats are seen regularly. He's also had a mountain lion go right through his yard and corrals, surprisingly not disturbing his horses. I asked about snakes, not because I am afraid of them but because I don't want our dogs to encounter rattlers, and was relieved to hear that non-venomous varieties were more the norm. I wouldn't be surprised if we also get the occasional deer in our yard or hear of a black bear sighting in the area once in a while.

We're really looking forward to being able to enjoy a bit more nature, although all these critters will mean we have to work a little harder to keep them out of the garden and chicken coop!