Avi Kwa Ame National Monument ~ Testing the Limits at Summer’s End

Photo credit clockwise from top left: Alan O’Neill, David Anderson @thewildsights, Kim Garrison Means, David Anderson @thewildsights

SEPTEMBER 2024

It has been an intensely hot summer in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument (the hottest on record throughout the Southwest). As the season winds to a close, the plant and animal life is stretched to its limit.

Animal sightings are rare during the day with most creatures opting to shelter in the shade. There are a few exceptions, however, and we’ve been enjoying seeing glimpses of juvenile animals testing their own limits with quirky confidence. Single file adolescent quail awkwardly parade behind their parents, while curious young coyotes, roadrunners, rabbits and lizards dabble in courtship and territoriality.