Today's walk report: Great, great, great, grandson of Tim?

 Or something like that... This was Tim. Gophers typically live for 1 to 3 years in the wild, although some can live up to 5 to 7 years in the wild depending on the species and environment. Their short lifespan is largely due to their many predators, which include owls, hawks, weasels, coyotes, foxes, and snakes. Today I ran into another pocket gopher reminiscent of Tim, approximately 400 yards from where Docken and I used to see Tim back in 2015. It will be interesting to see if this little fellow shows up again. But first...

The little dude needs to watch out. This pair of red-tailed hawks coincidentally (or not) were hanging out right above the area where Docken and I would be visited by Tim. Speaking of Docken, my thanks to her for coming along over the phone for my walks both yesterday and today. Yesterday's walk provided no photo ops and with AM gloomy weather both days I was hard pressed in finding photo worthy material again today.

The red-tailed hawks were present both coming and going today. I only captured one of them on the way in but I saw and certainly heard them both. A red-tailed hawk's call is a harsh, raspy scream, often transcribed as "kree-eee-ar" or "kee-eeeee-arr". This sound, which lasts about 2–3 seconds, is a high-pitched cry that descends in pitch and is frequently used in movies to represent any hawk or eagle. 

 Onto the local botanical garden. At first glimpse this looked quite mysterious. The camera lens took my eye considerably closer. This pocket gopher spent about 15 minutes with me nearby, turning around a full 360º in its hole more than once. Gophers have poor eyesight, which is not well-suited for long-distance or detailed vision, and they rely more on their other senses to navigate. Their eyes can detect light, but their primary adaptations for a subterranean life include highly sensitive whiskers and tails, which help them feel and navigate their environment in the dark. They also have poor hearing and are not well-equipped to see above ground, preferring to stay underground in their burrows. This little fellow was certainly curious about something. Did it sense my footsteps and think, ah... human. Humans often carry food... 

 While speaking with Doc, I sat on a bench for awhile and watched.

 Suddenly, it was gone. I went to look and sure enough, the little critter had closed up shop.

 It was a relatively short walk and I returned to where I parked my car off campus. The car was about .70 miles from the gopher's hole. The total walk was just a little over 1.5 miles. On the way back the red-tailed hawks were much closer. It was overcast and a tad foggy so the lighting was less than optimal. The two hawks were only about 50 yards apart here. The one in the tree is the one that was in flight in the first images.

 Thanks for taking a look.

Intelligent life is all around us...