I was sitting on the patio when this guy jumped up on the wall, about eight feet from me and started making talking noise, so I began making a similar noise back. He was looking at the water fountain to his left and the olive tree to his right, which is the home of tree lizards. These attractions seemed to neutralize my present. Even so, he continued to talk — maybe he was fussing!
I think he was telling me to leave, while I was wishing I had my camera. Assuming he would not be there if I went for the camera, I still took a chance and went inside.
To my surprise, he was still there when I returned — even more surprised as I moved in closer than I had been when he first appeared. The conversation continued as I clicked away.
One of the characteristics of these birds is that of having a mind of their own — sometimes their behavior is very unpredictable, making them fun to watch and even more so if they carry-on a conversation.
In a few minutes he ran on without a lizard or getting water.
Another sign of spring in the desert is our reptile friends, most scurrying about, making it challenging to photograph. But not the eastern collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), who like to pose for you on a nearby rock. I have other photos of the lizard from earlier springs and could have easily used one of them, but this image was taken a week ago.
Welcome back, my friend — it is springtime in the Sonoran desert.
Anyone who has a cat will recognize this image. It’s their nature to be in the middle of whatever you are doing.
Being a blogger, I have noticed that many bloggers share photos of their cat(s). The other day when I saw yet another blogger cat image, Kika was in her usual place asleep in a position similar to the blogger’s cat. So, I captured the above image — cats being cats!