Steve'sDigicams

penolta · Jul 20, 2008, 9:43 PM

Just where were you? Your squirrels are Antelope Squirrels (used to be called Antelope Ground Squirrels), but there are different kinds, depending on where you were. I found 7 of them in the picture, too.

The bird is a female Great-tailed Grackle.

I hope your family member is OK.

mtngal · Jul 20, 2008, 11:04 PM

I was in Summerlin(my family member is getting better but is somewhat frail at 90). I know, I was very close to twofun photographic places (Red Rock National Park and the Strip) and couldn'tmanage toget to either one. There's always next time. I gather that the Antelope Squirrel would be in Nevada?

Thanks for the ID on the bird and the squirrel- somehow I got the impression from my field guide that the Grackle was bigger than it really is (helps if I read the fine print).

penolta · Jul 21, 2008, 5:37 PM

There are several Antelope squirrels. the one in Nevada is the White-tailed Antelope Squirrel. It is said to be somewhat social, which explains why there were so many in your picture.

The western examples of the grackle are smaller than those further East, so the guide may have been misleading.

I never heard of Red Rock National Park - must be one of the newer ones. Sounds interesting - maybe next trip.

mtngal · Jul 21, 2008, 10:48 PM

I take it back - Red Rock isn't a National Park (thought it had been upgraded to one). Apparently its a National Conservation Area. It's always been managed by the BLM. There's a visitor's center and a wonderful drive offering hiking and climbing opportunities, along with all kinds of interesting colored rocks and it's not all that far from the Strip.

Some pictures from March:

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Jul 20, 2008, 9:43 PM	#11
penolta Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California USA Posts: 5,206	Just where were you? Your squirrels are Antelope Squirrels (used to be called Antelope Ground Squirrels), but there are different kinds, depending on where you were. I found 7 of them in the picture, too. The bird is a female Great-tailed Grackle. I hope your family member is OK.

Jul 20, 2008, 11:04 PM	#12
mtngal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Frazier Park, CA Posts: 16,177	I was in Summerlin(my family member is getting better but is somewhat frail at 90). I know, I was very close to twofun photographic places (Red Rock National Park and the Strip) and couldn'tmanage toget to either one. There's always next time. I gather that the Antelope Squirrel would be in Nevada? Thanks for the ID on the bird and the squirrel- somehow I got the impression from my field guide that the Grackle was bigger than it really is (helps if I read the fine print).

Jul 21, 2008, 5:37 PM	#13
penolta Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: California USA Posts: 5,206	There are several Antelope squirrels. the one in Nevada is the White-tailed Antelope Squirrel. It is said to be somewhat social, which explains why there were so many in your picture. The western examples of the grackle are smaller than those further East, so the guide may have been misleading. I never heard of Red Rock National Park - must be one of the newer ones. Sounds interesting - maybe next trip.

Jul 21, 2008, 10:48 PM	#14
mtngal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Frazier Park, CA Posts: 16,177	I take it back - Red Rock isn't a National Park (thought it had been upgraded to one). Apparently its a National Conservation Area. It's always been managed by the BLM. There's a visitor's center and a wonderful drive offering hiking and climbing opportunities, along with all kinds of interesting colored rocks and it's not all that far from the Strip. Some pictures from March: