Mike in the Wild

I like to say that when it's a slow birding day in the wild, there are always butterflies to spy and photograph.   I also like to remind myself to pay attention to where my feet are when I'm engrossed in a subject far away in my camera's viewfinder.  First of all, there may be holes and rocks - or worse cliffs! - just an easy step and fall away.  And second, there are sometimes rattlesnakes on local trails. But snakes aren't the only reptile you're apt to spot on Arizona's pathways.  In fact, when it comes to the reptile family you're more likely to see a lizard than their slithering cousins.  I've collected quite a few photographs during my brief but frequent encounters with this varied and interesting group of animals, and still haven't identified them all.  But so far I've had no luck shooting the allusive and only venomous lizard in the state, the Gila monster.   However, there are still plenty of opportunities to look safely along the ...