Desert Tortoise
Desert Tortoise.
I was thrilled to finally see a wild desert tortoise last weekend. On top of being a threaten species, these tortoise spend more then 95% below ground in burrows. That combination makes them a rare sight.
I spotted one while mountain biking last weekend, but by the time I returned to my vehicle and grabbed my camera, I was unable to find her. I have looked for her everyday since then - how far can a tortoise go! I finally spotted her again yesterday while doing some more mountain biking photos. This time I had my camera - what a treat!
March 28th, 2008 at 8:56 am
awesome find Ron! good thing you didn’t mistake the turtle for a rock! can you get close to them w/o spooking them?
March 28th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Thanks Richard!
They really do blend in with the rocks. You can get pretty close without really bothering them. This was with my 100-400 at 400. When we first found her, she went into her shell, but I laid down and watched and after a few minutes she popped back out and then walked off. It was really cool.
Ron
March 28th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
hey Ron,
Way cool - nice low perspective, and the harmonious tones really are nice.
Cheers
Carl
March 29th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Thanks Bud!
March 29th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Congrats on finally getting a shot Ron!
March 30th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Found your blog after finding your website. Beautiful photography…
I must return and see more.
sandy
March 30th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Thanks a lot Mark and Sandy!
Ron
April 17th, 2008 at 3:19 am
Great shot of this tortoise. I’m hoping to add more herps to my collection this spring.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Hey thanks Kari!