Saturday, July 11, 2009

Racoons, Birds, and Baby Lizards

I am watching the raccoon on the back porch right now. He moves very slowly when he creeps onto the porch, which is rather funny because he sees me. In fact, I walk right up to the door and talk to him. Nevertheless, he still slinks about as if he's not sure if he should stay or run. I can stand and talk to him the entire time he's eating and it doesn't seem to bother him in the least, but if my husband walks up to the door and starts talking, the little fella will slink back out the opposite door. I think it's my husband's deep voice that makes him nervous. It is funny to watch him slink, though. He's so cute, but he thinks he's very sneaky. It goes well with his black mask.

Today was baby lizard day at my house. Every time I left the house I saw a baby lizard scooting across the picnic table or scampering up a plant. I saw three baby lizards on my bedroom patio. They must have been having a conference. One was a creamy color, almost translucent. Another was the gray variety with scales, the ones that look like dragons. The third was an anole and very, very small. In the afternoon, I walked to the back door to take the dogs out and something leapt onto the screen. I took a step back--it sort of scared me!--then realized it was yet another baby lizard! He had jumped onto the screen and was watching us through the door. His picture is to the right.

I finally got a picture of one of the striped lizards with pink tails and you can see this to the right, as well. I have tried so many times, but they are very fast. We have two large ones living beneath the wisteria bush. Every morning and afternoon they make a complete trip around the house, searching for bugs. They stop at the pond for a quick drink, but I also set out dishes of water near the back door in case they get thirsty. They aren't particularly shy. Sometimes they walk right in front of me, their heads flipping from side to side as they search for bugs, but by the time I get my cell phone out and the camera ready, they have moved into the rocks or up a tree.

When I was looking out the bedroom window at the pond this morning I saw the most beautiful gray bird. Her chest was a soft bluish-gray, and her back feathers were much darker, almost black. She had a little bit of yellow on her beak. She was alone and seemed to be enjoying the solitude. There was something about the way she stood that made me think she was very relaxed and enjoying the shade and the cool drink. It was almost hypnotically peaceful to watch. She filled her beak then tilted her head back, letting the water drip down her throat. After a few minutes I tried to get closer to the window so I could see her better. I moved too quickly and she saw me. She hopped up into the tree so I left, hoping she would hop back down when she realized she was once again alone.

The tiniest squirrel was on the back tree again this morning. He has a late morning habit that is really cute. He likes to pull a piece of corn off the cob then lie upside down on his belly on the tree and nibble on it. It looks so cute to see him lying upside down on his belly, but he seems perfectly comfortable in this position. I think it makes him feel big to be looking down on everything.

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