Kelley's Realm of Writing: Arizona wildlife

Showing posts with label Arizona wildlife. Show all posts

Monday, June 29, 2015

Monday Musings: More Backyard Wildlife

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

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Monday, April 20, 2015

Monday Musings: Signs of spring in Lake Havasu City, AZ

Hummingbird enjoys the warm weather.

This roadrunner suddenly jumped up on the wall while I was trying to photograph a lizard. I’m pretty sure he was hunting the lizard and didn’t see me. I think I saved the lizard’s life because I frightened the roadrunner as much as he frightened me--he left as fast as he appeared, I barely captured this shot.

A beautiful cactus bloom—such beauty among such dangerous thorns.

Palo Verde tree in full bloom.

Loki enjoying the nice spring weather.

My first sighting of Godzilla, the desert iguana—maybe. I’m not quite sure if this is Godzilla or his mate, or possibly his offspring. This lizard didn’t look quite as big as Godzilla.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Monday, October 13, 2014

Monday Musings: More Godzilla news and backyard beauty

The lizard I named Godzilla used to visit my yard and I recently discovered he has moved into my yard. Yeah, he moved in along with some baby lizards, which I assume belong to him and Mrs. Godzilla. I think there are two of the huge lizards and the babies would indicate that is true. We no longer have a bunch of bugs in our yard and house thanks to the lizard community. Godzilla doesn’t appear to feel threatened by me or by my Chihuahua (my Chihuahua isn’t much bigger than him). In fact, as the pictures indicate, he allows me to get really close to him.

The lizards seem to be enjoying the beautiful weather we are having. This is the time of year when cactus blooms. You wouldn’t think a plant with dangerous, prickly thorns could look beautiful, but I’ve never seen such gorgeous blooms.

Kelley Heckart, Historical fantasy romance author

Captivating...Sensual...Otherworldly

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

Monday, June 30, 2014

Monday Musings: Wildlife in my backyard—Godzilla vs. Cactus Wrens

I don’t even have to leave my house to see a variety of wildlife. We don’t live on the edge of town, but we have a side yard outside our wall filled with nasty cactus that protects small animals from larger predators. I know for sure that rabbits, lizards and kangaroo rats live in there. I’m not sure I want to know what else might be residing in our side yard.

Since we moved here, we have had an injured hawk in the front yard, a sick or injured vulture in our backyard that I had to herd out of the yard because my husband was afraid of it, and we’ve opened our front door in the morning to find pieces of rabbits leftover from marauding coyotes. That thankfully stopped once we started leaving our porch light on at night. One morning, I opened the sliding back door because I heard a bunch of shrieking bird noises to find the yard covered in gray feathers and one bird foot. Ick. I think a raven killed a mourning dove.

Today I heard some loud, scolding bird noises and went outside with my camera to find two cactus wrens beneath our palo verde tree. I took a picture of the birds and then saw Godzilla, the large white lizard that inhabits the side yard, confronting the birds. He scared the hell out of me one day when he got stranded in our garage. I had to call my dad over to help me get him out of the garage because I was afraid of him. I didn’t want him to die in the garage though. Besides, he eats bugs and I hate bugs in my house. Usually Godzilla is elusive, but I was able to get some good pictures of him this time. I’m not sure what was happening, but I think the lizard and the birds were fighting over the grub worms in the soil beneath the tree.

That’s a popular spot in our backyard. The area beneath our palo verde tree is like a popular animal bar or restaurant. I get mad because birds and other unknown nocturnal creatures dig and mess up my rocks. But it is kind of cool to see all the wildlife in my backyard. I just wish they could put the rocks back after they dig up their worms.