Hailing from Long Island, New York, the wildlife in my hometown consists mostly of squirrels or maybe an abnormally sized rat if you venture into New York City. When I moved to Reno, Nevada, I was fascinated by what wildlife I may encounter out here in the high desert. When my journalism class took a field-trip to the largest park in the county, I had my opportunity to find out. This is where our story begins: Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. Click play below to listen to the full-story, and continue further for the full transcript and photos!
[Complete Transcript]
You don’t have to venture far from Reno to witness nature take its course. Just north of Reno’s downtown lies Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, the largest park in the county. Its here I journeyed to learn of what wildlife locals have been observing.
Being from the east coast, I’m interested in what you can expect to find out here in the high desert. Rancho was the perfect place to look, not only due to its close proximity to the city, but also because of its arboretum. I learned while exploring there that the arboretum is technically considered an oasis. This means it has a water source and tends to be a gathering place for a lot of wildlife. This was the perfect place to find local observers.
I began hiking around the arboretum, and while on a trail, something rustled in the trees. There happened to be someone sitting nearby who had seen it too. They confirmed it was indeed a… Squirrel. Anyways, this mutual experience gave me a chance to chat and ask what else they might have observed.
Dan: Hello, can you please introduce yourself?
Musa: Hello I am Musa Mohammed M-U-S-A
Dan: Hello Musa! Have you encountered any wildlife in your visit today?
Musa: Yes, we’ve seen a couple squirrels running around in the trees, and just kind of playing and exploring also.
Although Musa had only seen squirrels today, I later learned he’s been coming to the park for three years. This has given him many chances to see unique happenings, and he shared with me quite the tale.
Dan: In your time in Rancho, have you seen anything (wildlife) rare, or interesting, or have had any exciting experiences?
Musa: Yes actually I have, one time me and my friend were walking through the park and we saw a little bunny rabbit, and next thing we knew a peregrine falcon dived down full speed and you know took it out, nature took its course. And yeah that was pretty exciting, kind of crazy, a little traumatizing, but yeah it was a cool sight to see.
Dan: Yeah wow what an incredible things to see live.
There you have it folks, Musa saw a poor little bunny rabbit scooped up by a falcon. Pretty amazing that something that dramatic can casually happen in our park. I was also interested in how the park’s wildlife has maybe changed over time. Musa seemed experience so I asked.
Dan: Do you feel like in your time coming to the park you’ve experienced any changes in what you’ve seen or has it been pretty consistent?
Musa: It’s been pretty consistent here. We just see squirrels you know the geese, the falcons, the bunny rabbits, so it’s pretty consistent nothing really changed for the three years I’ve been coming here.
So it seems as if Rancho has been pretty consistent at least from Musa’s account, except perhaps maybe one less bunny rabbit. Finally I wrapped up by asking Musa about whether he had anything else he’d like to share.
Dan: Ok, great, is there anything else you’d like to share about the park or your experience?
Musa: No just it’s a really great place to come and unwind from a long work week.
After chatting with Musa, I took in some more of the wildlife myself, and enjoyed the amazing view from the Irvin overlook. The pond set against the mountain on a bright sunny fall day made the park truly feel and look like an oasis.
Overall Rancho is a beautiful escape easily accessible within the city. The wildlife you can observe there is surprising and stunning. Whether birdwatching in the arboretum or carefully viewing the bunnies in the field, San Rafael has a lot to offer. Take Musa’s advice, and come view nature take its course after a long work week.
Photos:
Pictured below are my personal encounters with wildlife, as well as some of the settings I searched within the park. Although my personal findings weren’t as fruitful, huge thank you to Musa for sharing his amazing encounter!
