SonoraDick Loc: Tucson

I have the world's greatest (volunteer) job. I work in the visitor center at Saguaro National Park in Tucson. It's an old (1950s) building that was built with thought, as the back wall consists of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out into the Sonoran Desert. Some days, especially in the summer, it's better than going to the zoo, as the building's roof provides shade that invites animals, especially javelinas, to come right up to the windows to rest out of the sun. In addition to javelinas, I've seen close-up coyotes, deer, roadrunners, nesting (in saguaros) birds, woodpeckers, a Gila monster... and I'm probably forgetting some.

This post is almost entirely javelinas, because they're my favorites and are pretty easy to photograph. The only problem sometimes is that they sleep directly under the window, no more than a couple of feet away from me, but mostly out of sight.

All photos taken through the back window by me with my Nikon D7100, using a Tamron AF 16-300mm F3.5-6.3.

Javelinas almost always have two babies.

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The adults are likely mama and aunt; females will look after any baby whether it's their own or not.

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While the adults rarely move other than to kick some dirt on themselves to stay cool, babies will often wander around.

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This coyote was drinking from a nearby (artificial) pond. One was mortally wounded here last summer by javelinas defending a baby. The javelinas then fled and seldom returned until this summer, when they once again have been regular visitors.

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This baby, photographed July 5, 2017, was no more than 24-48 hours old at the time. His/her eyes, as well as those of the twin, were almost always closed for the entire three hours I watched them.

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This one, also seen on July 5, is about a month old, and is most likely seen as a newborn in some of the photos above which were taken last month. Here (s)he's racing around FAST in 103° heat.

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All tuckered out!

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ncshutterbug

How lucky are you to be working there! Wonderful shots of a creature I've never laid eyes on and a coyote. The little guys are adorable but the look like they could make short work of a nice garden.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Very cute

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

What a wonderful opportunity! These are precious shots!

jeanbug35 Loc: Jonesboro AR

You are indeed lucky. Look forward to seeing many more critter shots from you.

eurobird Loc: uk

So cute you have a wonderful volunteer job your are so lucky.👍

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

VERY nice set. Fun to see. They say volunteering has its own rewards - you have demonstrated that well!

Cape Codder Loc: Cape Cod

Thanks for sharing. I don't think I even knew what a javelina is. You have mde me want to do some reading on these interesting animals.

cdayton

I envy your vantage point. We lived in the Tucson area until recently and I really miss the wildlife in the desert: Javelinas, coyotes, several species of snakes, occasional bobcat, jack rabbits, quail, ravens, humming birds, Harris hawks, etc. visited our lot in Sahuarita regularly.

bigwolf40 Loc: Effort, Pa.

Beautiful photos. This is the first time I've seen one of these. It looks like they have a snoot like a pig....Rich

Bobcat87

These are so cute. They are quite here in central Texas, but I have never seen a baby javelina before.

cdayton

They are cute but adult males can be very aggressive and protective of their families. They can fairly easily kill a dog or a coyote and people are sometimes injured when they approach too close. They tend to be secretive and stay in dry washes but come out at night to forage. We had an oak that they liked to root around at night.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Lucky you! Your images show that babies of any species are cute :) I like how you caught the interaction between babies and mom. The adults can be quite nasty and aggressive though.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I have to ask: Who gets to wash the windows? Nice pics.

Mile Loc: Crescent City Calif

Oh!! My Gosh they are adorable. First ones I have ever seen. You are lucky great captures enjoyed the photos a lot