Arizona: Cotton Rat

The reliable clan of Harris’s Hawks gets all the attention at Tucson’s Sweetwater Wetlands, but sometimes we forget why they’re there–and why they’re so happy.

Native cotton rats are abundant in wet habitats in southeast Arizona, and it’s not uncommon to see them scurrying around the rushes and cattails. This one yesterday morning was taking it much easier, enjoying the shade even while keeping an eye out for the hawks.