Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Animals, tame and wild

Marco's almost finished with his winter molt, and I must say, his feathers are looking beautiful this year. Spending plenty of time on the porch soaking up sunlight is obviously good for him.

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Speaking of animals on the porch, this little guy showed up the other day and was also soaking up the sunshine. We've been seeing these blue-tailed skinks around for a couple of weeks now. They're actually called American five lined skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus), and they only have this coloring when they're juveniles. They lose the blue color as they get older and then their heads turn red, so this one will look totally different once it grows up.

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In other animal sighting news, yesterday Gregg and I went over to the nature trail that's less than a block from our house and took a little walk. We only saw one other human, a guy out running. Way back in the woods, beside a stream that's part of the creek, we saw a fox walking silently along the water's edge. That was a treat! I thought of  Meike and Neil and their love of foxes. We also saw a large pond slider turtle, sitting in a patch of sunlight in the mud. I didn't have my phone with me and so sadly I didn't get any photos. As we were getting in our car, we heard two barred owls calling to each other, which was strange considering it was the middle of the day. We hear them all the time at night. I wonder what they were up to? A quick Google search indicates that they do indeed sometimes call to each other and hunt during the day. Not too long ago we were out walking the dogs after dark and we saw one of them (thanks to a street light) land in a tall pine tree in front of us. Thanks to the close proximity of the creek, we see and hear all sorts of wildlife. We made a good choice when we picked this house to buy.

20 comments:

  1. Marco is so pretty!!!!!! And yes...in quiet environs...fox will come out, although they can be very nocturnal. I have several fox here..last summer we got very close with each other...very curious and Wiley they are. The dozen here has been absent. I suspect she is at her den with some pups or is getting ready to deliver. Im sure we will see her newest babies soon when she is ready to show them off. I had video of them last year.

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  2. Marco, gorgeous as ever! Wow, that coloring! The skink is very pretty, too.

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  3. handsome marco! and the skink; I love lizards and have never seen one like this in the wild. you should dedicate your porch to marco.

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  4. Marco makes me happy.
    So you taught me something today- I did not know that the bluetailed skink is the juvenile. When they get grown and their heads turn crimson they are fierce looking! Scary like they're bloodied! I suppose that's a defense coloration. It would scare me off.
    How nice that you live so close to a beautiful spot of nature.

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  5. Your nature walk sounds great. I'd love to see some of those sights. We get foxes in our garden, and they always bring me joy, even though some people consider them urban pests.

    Marco's feathers are beautiful -- and so are your photos! So crisp and sharp!

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  6. *Sigh*

    Marco.

    The name suits him, too. He doesn't look like a Mike or a Ronald. He's definitely a Marco.

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  7. I wish I could say the same - that being out in the sun makes my "feathers" beautiful :-) My roots are showing badly, and under normal circumstances I would have been to the hairdresser's weeks ago - but who cares, it doesn't really matter what my hair looks like as long as I and those dear to me stay healthy.
    Seeing that fox must have been such a treat! When O.K. picked me up on Friday to spend the Easter weekend with him, I saw a fox sitting in the sun on a slope not too far from the road. He or she looked like a cat sunning itself there, with that typical cat face that says "bliss".
    Love the skink!

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    1. PS: You found the perfect home there, didn't you, and I am so glad!

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  8. We've been hoping for more bird sightings along the coastline with all the people gone, but we haen't seen anything new (and there are many in our area). The one change I HAVE noticed is the monk parakeets are often out in the open on low branches and the ground without any concern. They're usually screeching away above our heads and flitting from tree to tree. The woods around the Moorish castle are probably filled with local wildlife. But, we can't visit. Marco is so beautiful!

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  9. Lucky you! I don't have owls around here, though I do have a lot of Cardinals and woodpeckers. Oh, and bunnies. I live in bunny hell.

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  10. Marco is looking verrry sexy. If I were a lady parrot I would be saying. "Wanna spend the night with Pretty Polly?" Am I being weird? I guess so. I put it down to the two bottles of "Brakspear Oxford Gold" I have just drunk.

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  11. Marco is one handsome fellow.
    I'm so glad yo picked that house, too. I remember all you agony in chosing, but yu did a nice job.

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  12. How nice that you have a nature trail so close. I would love that. Thank you for showing pictures of that handsome Marco. He is one good looking bird and he always seems happy. I'm glad you chose that house too. It sounds perfect for you.

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  13. I too saw a Fox recently; perhaps they sense a lack of humans around. Your lizard is much more attractive than ours; ours are a dull grey/brown and live in the walls of the house.

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  14. With all this stay home going on I have noticed the bird song in the mornings and my feeders are needing to be filled more. Your Marco is a very hadsome fellow.

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  15. Marco is absolutely beautiful. Glad you could get out and enjoy nature. Before too long it will be hotter than Hades.

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  16. You did indeed pick the right home. Love all the wildlife you can see now.
    Marco is so beautiful !
    parsnip

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