Garden Wars

This is a very serious post.  Okay, not so much, but it's pretty serious for the participants that I observed yesterday.  It's the classic struggle of predator versus prey.  Now please don't be upset by the fact that the prey in this instance is beautiful.  Many beautiful creatures die on a daily basis so that others can live.

The predator in this instance is a anole, (more commonly incorrectly identified as a chameleon or "Fraggle").  The prey is a beautiful Viceroy butterfly, (more commonly and again incorrectly identified as a "Monarch").

As I stood out back, watching the feeder in my usual state of anticipation, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a movement in the bushes to my right.  There, posed on a small twig, recently cut by the maintenance workers here at the apartment, an anole.  I almost didn't see him.  He was brown; very, very brown.  He tried to blend in with the twig, but in his overzealousness overshot the color and blended in more with the ground, which he was no where near, perched atop this twig.  He didn't seem to mind, because on a leaf close by was the object of his attention; a Viceroy butterfly.

As he watched, not moving, the butterfly flitted up and down and all around, seemingly to almost tease the anole.  Yet, he didn't move.  It was as if he knew something.  It was as if he knew that in time, he would be close enough to capture this delightful prize for lunch.

The butterfly seemed to be oblivious to the anole.  First he flitted close, then quickly away, then back again, almost lighting on his head.  I watched in anticipation wishing that the butterfly would just fly away.  He was so beautiful!  However, I then immediately felt sorry for the anole.  He was probably hungry and needed to gnosh a bit.

This scenario went on for about an hour.  Luckily for the butterfly another victim wandered into the lair of the anole and was quickly snatched and eaten.  He then moved on.  To him, this was just another day of hunting.  To me, a wonderful lesson in patience.  "Good things come to he who waits."


Or so they say...

The First Post of 2013

Hello people!

This year I'm going to try and be more diligent in posting to this blog.  I thought I did a pretty good job last year, but looking back there were large gaps in the posts and that's probably why only two of you follow me, (and one is my sister).  Going forward I will do my best to post at least once every couple of weeks.

This being the first post of the new year, it's only fitting that it was a GREAT day in the backyard birding extravaganza!!  First, a yellow variant, (who knew) House Finch graced my feeder and actually came back twice for some millet.  I took his picture then ran upstairs to research what I'd captured!?!  I was really surprised and delighted.  Add another lifer to my list!

I went back out almost immediately and found that the birds were, as the day moved on, getting less and less cooperative.  There were the usual visitors; Red Winged Blackbirds, (mostly females), and Northern Cardinals, (two pair) and a Mourning Dove or three, but there were also Catbirds and quite a few Warblers in the bushes and trees that surround my feeder.

The avian population was in full force and even the fauna was out and about today.  I think it's because it wasn't very hot and the wind was blowing.  That seems to stir things up a bit here.  Regardless of the reason, there were squirrels and raccoons on the feeder today, in the daylight, eating and having a good old time!



Tomorrow I'm setting up my lighting equipment and I'll try to capture some in flight landings on the feeder.  Stay tuned!