Bird surveys, fox, snake, and a chill squirrel

Before this summer, the breeding bird surveys I had done in southern Navajo County had not yielded anything surprising. On the last two surveys I've done, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo was calling along Silver Creek and a Cassin's Sparrow singing along Zeniff Rd. northeast of Heber (the sparrow appears to be a first county record). It seems this reinforces the idea that it's mostly when you're not specifically looking, that something special materializes. Here are various photos of the wildlife, scenery, and plants from those surveys (Silver Creek near White Mountain Lake on June 25, Silver Creek near Woodruff on June 26, and Zeniff Rd./SR277/Clay Springs Rd. for the "Clay Springs Breeding Bird Survey" route), followed by photos of a gartersnake, oddly-behaving squirrel, and more at home:

Gray fox along Silver Creek near White Mountain Lake:

Black-chinned Hummingbird nest (female incubating two eggs):

Scouler's St. Johnswort (Hypericum scouleri, Family Clusiaceae):

false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa, Family Fabaceae):

tarantula hawk wasp:

Silver Creek near White Mtn. Lake:

rush (Juncus sp., Family Juncaceae):

yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus, Family Scrophulariaceae):

unknown flower:

Petroglyphs along the canyon rim above Silver Creek south of Woodruff:

Ruins above canyon (not sure if from ranchers or ancient indians):

Rock Wren:

prince's plume (Stanleya pinnata, Family Brassicaceae):

Silver Creek Canyon:

Cassin's Sparrow along Zeniff Rd. (first record for Navajo County):

 

Skylarking behavior while singing its liquid, trilling song:

Audio recording of the Cassin's Sparrow:

Bendire's Thrasher along Zeniff Rd.:

buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima, Family Cucurbitaceae), which you do not want to smell the flowers of...they smell like bad armpit odor:

  

black-headed gartersnake in our garden:

This Abert's squirrel kept sprawling out on the tray feeder and also out on the ground. Not sure if it was trying to cool off, was feeling sick, mistakenly thinking it was a chameleon, or what:

Lewis's Woodpecker:

bunnies:

Calligrapha beetle species at our place in Heber:

moth species:

beebalm / wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa, Family Lamiaceae):

Eva's floppy ear healing from surgery for another hematoma: