Congratulations to Sam who was the first person to correctly surmise the identity of this month’s mystery animal. The Javelina or Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu) is native to the Americas, from the southwestern U.S. all the way down to Argentina. Though it looks an awful lot like a pig or wild boar at first glance, the Javelina is more closely related to the deer family than pigs (pigs evolved in the Old World).

Though primarily nocturnal in the hot summer months Javelinas take full advantage of daylight during the cooler weather. Which is probably why we had our first close encounter with a small family group (females and young stick together throughout the year) here on our property earlier this week. Tucson has a substantial population of Javelina that share our urban area—Sam also made the acquaintance of his neighborhood Javelinas earlier this week (see his photo on Flickr).

Our small group of four (the fourth one stayed hidden for protection probably because it has a pronounced limp) wandered quite peacefully through our yard for a half hour. Which allowed us plenty of time to observe their behavior—like when the two adult females rubbed each others backs, releasing a pungent odor from their scent glands. And obviously, they even hung around long enough for me snap some photos, some of which turned out better than others.

Thanks everyone for participating! See you in the New Year for a fresh set of challenges.

Please be as specific as possible. Good luck!

(Click photo for larger version.)

Instructions: When you think you have figured it out, enter your guess in the comment field below. Be sure to check back in three days (this Friday) to see if you were right.

The third letter from Buckeye = C
The second letter of Hoover = O
The last letter of Ulysses = S
The second to last letter of Minnesota = T
The third letter from Louis = U
The third letter from Sand = N

Rearranged, the letters spell out a place that is very special to us: Tucson! After all our travels across this amazing country we still think Tucson is one of the best places to live and we are not alone in that. AARP The Magazine’s September/October issue had an article entitled, “The Best Places to Live the Simple Life.” Tucson came in first place. The subtitle was “Rich culture, great food, low stress. Who wouldn’t want to call these affordable cities home?” Who indeed.

¹ Technically, his birth name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. A clerical error on his West Point nomination papers mangled Grant’s name to Ulysses S., which he adopted and used for the rest of his life.

It’s a two-parter: you not only need to figure out the answer to each clue but after taking the designated letter from each answer you’ll need to unscramble them to figure out the final answer.

The common name for this two-toned, lumpy nut (and the tree it came from) was derived from its resemblance to a deer’s optical organ. Take the third letter.

Despite a humble beginning (he was orphaned at a young age) this man graduated from Stanford, was a millionaire by his thirties and eventually landed the highest office in this country (at the time he was the first one born west of the Mississippi River). You’ll need the second letter of this man’s last name.

This man was born in Ohio and raised in an abolitionist family. After he graduated from West Point he was stationed out west where he married into a slave-owning family. A few years later he abruptly quit the military. When a crisis faced the nation he re-joined the military and eventually he was promoted. Afterwards he was twice elected to the White House. Grab the last letter of his first name.

One of our favorite radio shows broadcasts weekly from this state. The state’s name comes from a Dakota word meaning “sky-tinted water.” Scoop up the second to last letter.

One of this now famous aviator’s first jobs was delivering air mail. He later went on to win the Ortieg Prize by flying non-stop from New York to Paris in a plane specially made for him. Snag the third letter from the last word in the name of the plane.

This renowned forester-professor-author wrote a non-fiction book about his efforts to restore a worn-out farm in Wisconsin. He mixed his observations about the natural world with philosophy and the resultant text became the conservationist’s bible. You’ll want the third letter from the second word in the book’s title.

Now rearrange the selected letters to spell out the name of a place that is very special to us.

Instructions: When you think you have figured it out, enter your answer in the comment field below. Be sure to check back next Sunday (November 22nd, 2009) to see if you were right.

There were two obstacles in ID-ing this bird, first it was a young bird that did not yet have its flashy—and readily identifiable—adult markings, and second we are not used to seeing this particular species hopping along a river’s edge. We usually see White-crowned Sparrows in dense shrubs.

A shout out to Rich who ventured a guess—a possum would’ve been cool! Other than road kill we still haven’t seen any possums. Tune in next month for another exciting installment of our Travel Challenge…

Revealed photo

(Click photo for larger version, or compare to the original photo.)

Detail photo

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

(Click photo for larger version.)

Instructions: When you think you have figured it out, enter your guess in the comment field below. Be sure to check back next week to see if you were right.

The photo has not been doctored; it is the glorious combination of two things, my lack of ability as a photographer and the subjects’ stubborn refusal to be photographed. Happy guessing!

Allow me to set the stage: it was a hot and humid afternoon—muggy is putting it nicely—probably one of the last few such days left in the summer for the St. Paul area. We were strolling around the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary just east of downtown. Since it was so close to the Mississippi we had hoped to catch sight of at least some of the amazing birds that call the area home.

After striding along in the hot sun for a few minutes we acknowledged that our chance of sighting any wildlife was virtually non-existent. We were trudging along the last part of the loop, relishing the ample shade provided by a row of large cottonwoods, when we spotted it. Up high on a dead branch perched a Bald Eagle! We were not the only ones seeking respite from the mid-day sun. Though the eagle was clearly not thrilled with our proximity, it was too busy panting from the heat to move.

Revealed photo

(Click photo for larger version, or compare to the original photo.)

Detail photo

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Please be as specific as possible. Good luck!

(Click photo for larger version.)

Instructions: When you think you have figured it out, enter your guess in the comment field below. Be sure to check back next week to see if you were right.

The photo has not been doctored; it is the glorious combination of two things, my lack of ability as a photographer and the subjects’ stubborn refusal to be photographed. Happy guessing!

The critter in hiding was a Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) who eluded my camera successfully while we were visiting Petrified Forest National Park.

Revealed photo

(Click photo for larger version.)

Please be as specific as possible. Good luck!

(Click photo for larger version.)

Instructions: When you think you have figured it out, enter your guess in the comment field below. Be sure to check back next week to see if you were right.

The photo has not been doctored; it is the glorious combination of two things, my lack of ability as a photographer and the subjects’ stubborn refusal to be photographed. Happy guessing!