Sunday, August 23, 2009

What lives in YOUR backyard?

I love hearing from different people about what kind of wildlife lives in their backyard. My parents have an array of creatures, and watching the squirrels and chipmunks fight over the bird seed is very entertaining. When we lived in MN, we had groundhogs, squirrels, birds of every kind, rabbits, and even deer. I can't forget the neighbor's cat who came to harrass my indoor kitties through the window.
Our wildlife here in FL is a lot different. This morning we had a pair of Whooping Cranes hanging out in our yard, protesting loudly as neighbors went by, walking their dogs. Lately, we have had our screens, windows, porch, etc. covered with lizards. They like to sun themselves and are quite plentiful this time of year. Unfortunately though, we had a visit from another kind of lizard today. One I would rather NOT live in our "backyard"....an alligator!
I always look at the pond behind us as I walk through the house (our screened porch is attached to the living room, so you can see the water from there), and today I came to an immediate stand-still when I saw him. There he was, floating in the water in plain sight. I saw his whole head....his beady eyes, his long snout, his nostrils raised about the water. I watched him for a while, and my suspicions were confirmed when 3 female mallard ducks headed his way. They took a quick and noisy detour when they came upon him.
So, I will be keeping my eye out for this new neighbor. I just hope he stays IN the water. Any ideas on what to name him?

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