It is a blessing to live just outside of the hustle and bustle of the city of Sedona and live in peace and harmony with the wildlife that has been here since the settlers tilled the land.  What a joy to see families of deer, javelina, coyotes, bobcat, gambles quail, squirrel and rabbits walking through our property or in one of the nearby parks, hills, mountains or trails.  Elk can be seen up Oak Creek Canyon and in flagstaff.

JAVELINA (pronounce the J like an H) The one pictured here was caught sauntering up our newly manicured crushed granite path that takes you down to the Labyrinth and up to the patio with the outdoor checker and chessboard. All he cared about was how many wildflowers he could find along the way to munch on. Perhaps this was the very same one that snorted at our guest’s bonfire one night around 10 PM. They don’t see very far but he just gave them a casual gaze and sauntered on his way to meet his family in the nearby open field. To see the family walk along in single file going from 40” long, and stepped down to 12” is so adorable that after a while you don’t notice how ugly they really are. They are in the Peccary, wild boar family. There are no curly tails so you can forget the pig jokes. One year our wonderful Sedona artists created personalities and colorful accessories for them. We were able to vote for the most beautiful javelina bronze statue. This was almost an impossible task but finally, it was accomplished. You can still see them positioned all over town.

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COYOTE (wild dog) The coyote in the picture was howling so mournfully that we decided to grab the camera and go to the field next door and see if there was a problem. As you can see, he was just trying to get a little attention from his friends that he meets nightly and sometimes daily near our yard. Most are surprised to see them just walk by, look at us and keep on trotting. They are looking for rodents, not humans. We have been here since August of 2006 and we still listen for the pack to stop by once or twice per night. There is something very enchanting about it. They howl for about three or four minutes and then disappear into the starlit night. If the moon is full sometimes you can catch a glimpse of their thick shiny coat glistening as they dart through the Junipers and Pines on the property. One of our guests remarked at breakfast one morning that the only thing she was disappointed about was she saw all the wildlife she had on her list except a Coyote. I was so surprised. She followed this statement with the following: “However, you should mention something to your neighbor because I saw their beautiful shepherd dog running across the bottom of your hill. Couldn’t he get in trouble being loose like that with the Coyotes around?” We laughed almost uncontrollably. I told her she had seen everything on her list. Yes, that is what our Coyotes look like.

DEER (H-3’3”/ L-6’ to 7’) We have an occasional White-tailed or Mule doe or buck come fleeting through. We have a 53-acre open property to the South of us where they like to graze under the cover of the large trees. There are many herds of deer and elk up Oak Creek Canyon. The canyon starts about 15 minutes from us. One evening our guests came bursting into the house to tell us they just past a six-point buck standing in our driveway. We all ran out to see and of course, he was gone. The next day all of my beautiful roses had vanished. I guess they were pretty tasty.

MALLARD DUCKS (24”) There are many colorful ducks that swim in Oak Creek that is just a five-minute walk down the path. This Mallard has a partner that always swims with him right at the Cathedral Rock Vortex. We call them energy junkies because we have watched people come to this peaceful spot and begin to meditate. Every time, they swim right over to them, come out of the water, and walk right over to the person in meditation. They motion for them to go away. They jump back in the creek, the meditator begins again and the ducks do an about-face and swim right back to them and the whole thing starts all over again.

❤️ Book your romantic getaway at our luxury Sedona Vacation Rental or Sedona Bed and Breakfast today!