Male American Goldfinch with winter plumage. Here he is eating his breakfast. American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), also known as eastern goldfinch is a small bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season (summer), and from the Canada/US border to Mexico during the winter. It is a granivore and adapted for the consumption of seedheads. The only finch in its subfamily to undergo a complete molt, the American goldfinch displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant yellow during the breeding season and an olive color during the winter. The female is a dull yellow-brown shade which brightens only slightly during the summer.
The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris), also known as the rock chuck, is a large, stout-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus. It is one of fourteen species of marmots, and is native to mountainous regions of southwestern Canada and western United States, The fur is mainly brown, with a dark bushy tail, yellow chest and white patch between the eyes,. They live in burrows in colonies of up to twenty individuals with a single dominant male. They are diurnal and feed on plant material, insects, and bird eggs. They hibernate for approximately eight months starting in September and lasting through the winter.
This cute wild desert rabbit was playing hide and seek when I was scouting the Hall Of Horrors area at Joshua Tree NP. The desert cottontail is quite similar in appearance to the European rabbit, though its ears are larger and are more often carried erect. It is social among its peers, often gathering in small groups to feed. Like all cottontail rabbits, the desert cottontail has a greyish-brown, rounded tail with a broad white edge and white underside, which is visible as it runs away.It also has white fur on the belly.
