RATES & AVAILABILITY
You should have an excellent view of all the local wildlife right from the comfort of the house! The property backs up to Sabino Canyon, which has an excellent game trail populated by an assortment of critters, including mule deer, coyotes, javalinas, bobcats, foxes, rattlesnakes, gila monsters and the like! There is also a spectacular assortment of birds, including hawks, owls, falcons, vultures, hummingbirds, quail, doves and roadrunners. And don't worry....all of the gardens and patios sit behind walls and critter-proof doors! Click here see the creatures you will be sharing the desert with!
OUR DESERT NEIGHBORS
Mule Deer
Probably the animal you will see the most around the property, and by far the biggest. Their daily trail takes them right past the house.
Javalina
They look like pigs but are actually peccary. They usually travel in family units and are very protective of their young. You will usually see them at night and early morning, and just like my two adult sons they will eat pretty much anything, including ornamental flowers, succulents, bushes, garbage, anything. Also, they have a gland on top of their backs and they actually stink!!!
Bobcat
Unlike deer and javalinas, you will be lucky to see a bobcat. Extremely shy, you can see them any time of day. One mom bobcat actually had babies and lived on the roof of the garage one year!
Mountain Lion
Extremely shy and elusive, we'll see one in the neighborhood every couple of years, always accompanied by hysterical neighborhood Ring and Doorbell alerts!
Coyote
You may or may not see them during your visit, but you will definitely hear them, pretty much every night! They will usually travel solo or in pairs, and you can see them at any time during the day, although never on an ACME rocket.
Bonus!!! Read Wile's lawsuit against ACME in the link below. Justice is finally served!!!
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Fairly common in the desert, you will usually see them during the warm months. They will hide and try to avoid humans at all cost, and will let you know when you are getting too close with their rattle.
Gila Monster
Very rare to meet up with one and extremely poisonous. However, they are the slowest (I mean slow) reptile you will ever see. It is illegal to harm a Gila Monster in Arizona.
Tarantula
Surprisingly common in the desert, especially in the warm months. They are solitary hunters that go after other insects usually and, despite what Hollywood has told us, pose no real danger to humans, except you __________ (insert wayward child's name here), especially if you don't listen to your parents!!!
Scorpions
Excellent insect hunters during the warm months of the year, you can look for them at night with a UV flashlight (they glow under UV lights). So, how do you keep them out of your house? You spray your house for all insects!!! No food = no scorpions!!!
Bats
If you are on the deck at sunset and look west, you will see them come out to hunt. The most common bat in Tucson is the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat, and you should thank them, since on average each one will eat 4,000+ insects a night!!!
Colorado River Toad
OK, you have to be careful with these bad boys. They come out during the warm months, especially after it rains, and like to hang out around pools. When threatened, they will secrete a very toxic poison on their backs. If you have a dog that is nosy (or hungry), keep them away from these critters!!!
Red-Tailed Hawk
Probably the most common raptor in the neighborhood, you can see them any time of day, especially in the late afternoon on top of the Saguaros through the back windows.
Harris's Hawk
Another common raptor in Tucson, they are pretty unique among hawks in that they sometimes hunt in groups. So while there is no "I" in "Team", there is no, wait a minute, never mind.
Golden Eagle
Unlike Bal Eagles, who you will see in the area only when they migrate, Golden Eagles have a vast range and can be seen frequently in the Tucson area. One of the coolest things I have ever seen in Arizona (or anywhere) is one of these bad boys flying away...with a 6ft snake in its talons!!!
Also, when taking aerial pictures of the house, the two resident Golden Eagles took exception to a drone in their own dojo and went after it...
Turkey Vulture
When you first see them, you think "Hawk!", and then you get an up-close look and your joy level drops down a few notches. Hey, somebody's gotta take out the garbage!!!
Great Horned Owl
You'll see this desert denizen at night and, if you get to see one up close or have a low-altitude flyover, you know this bird means business!!!
Barn Owl
The best flying rodent-control apparatus in history. Apparently, this bird of prey has the best hearing of any animal tested.
Roadrunner
These birds are flat out mean and aggressive, and will eat pretty much anything they can catch! They are actually fast enough to catch and kill rattlesnakes (Yeah Roadrunner!!!). Also, they are not blue and purple!!! Warner Brothers lied to us!!!
Saguaro Cactus
The biggest cacti, they can reach up to 40ft tall and will usually not sprout an "arm" until they are 70+ years old!!!
Barrel Cactus
Pretty common all over the Sonoran Desert, they have extremely solid spines that are very sharp, as I learned oh so well when I cleaned up and cleared the yard around the house. I looked like I fought a bunch of angry cats.. Their flowers and pods are favorite deer food.
Ocotillo
One of the most surprising thing things about the Ocotillo is the amount of flowers that sprout from all over the plant. Truly beautiful!!!
Prickly Pear
These things are all over the place, produce a fruit that you can eat right off the plant (they actually make prickly-pear syrup out of them), and are the #1 place where packrats hang out.
The Elusive (Not Really) Yellow Labrador
Although not native to Tucson, there have been sightings of a magnificent Labrador Retriever specimen (Doggus Superiorus Major) who goes by the name "Dexter".
I can go on and on about this most intelligent creature, but suffice it to say that he is a prime example of everything right about dogs unlike, say, a Maltese (Feline Doggus Minor).
Maltese
Often mistakenly incorporated into the Canis lupus familiaris branch of mammals, Maltese have been genetically proven to correctly belong to Felis catus, since it does not meet any of the criteria necessary to being a dog, and will clearly be the first species eaten by others after the Zombie Apocalypse.