Bird watching in the yard. We seem to have a new species but he's being awfully shy and I've only gotten one good look at him. Looked him up online and can't seem to identify the little rascal. So, I went out to refill the bird feeders (we ran out of seed as I filled the second one) and that's when dad went outside to turn off the sprinklers which was what was bringing them out of the trees, swooping and playing on the grass. Oh well. Guess I'll be on the lookout in the future.
Spring is robustly here. There are enough butterflies flitting about that I expect to see more Black Phoebes soon. They are sooo pretty. Coal black bodies with a diamond tipped patch of white on the belly. Very elegant-looking. And petite. Tuxedo birds.
They're not aggressive but they are startling. Anything is startling if you didn't expect it to be there. The mega-possum from a few days ago, just turned around and went in the opposite direction of me, working clumsily to balance itself along the narrow surface of our tall fence. It was slow going and I knew the poor thing was more horrified by me than I was by it. So I made no sudden moves that might make it stumble or - worse - go into shock and drop mode. I quietly said hello, got Cleo's dinner, re-screwed the lid back on to the large bin, and came inside.
Two nights ago, I heard cat screeches in the yard, also after dark. Cat screeches are not unusual since we have two cats and our yard is a favorite local hang out for all manner of feline, both collared and feral. Still, if I can help it and since my bedroom window is the only one to the yard and I'm the first to know of any activity back there, I tend to go get a look if the sounds of encounters are not resolved quickly and efficiently. We mostly leave our little creatures to have their secret lives, but as they've grown older (Nala is 15-ish and Maya is 14-ish) I worry that their instincts or strength isn't what it used to be. In all fairness, neither has ever come home with battle scars. It was our beloved Griffin that used to show up with scrapes and wounds and a look that said, "you should see what the other guy looks like..." The girls are somewhat passive and don't get into much trouble so when I hear fighting I know it's visitors coming in to make trouble with each other. Often I find Nala and Maya just sitting watching it all go down and scold them for their diminished sense of territorial ownership... "Alright, you two: INSIDE, and you guys: go the heck home, your mother's looking for you!"
So, out I went a couple of nights ago, to ensure that my babies were not being cornered somewhere and to shoo away bullies, when I saw a small opossum climbing slowly up the rose tree branch, just past the avocado tree. I'd forgotten about the protocol, which applies to the back yard doors as well as the kitchen door. I'd not given any critters a chance to scurry. But this was a little guy, I thought to myself. A wee 'possum, surely adventuring and probably found himself face to face with a cat. No biggie, I says, cat's probably run off as soon as the patio light went on, I says. Except that before Little Guy made it up to the cover of the foliage, I heard said foliage move, heavily, loudly. Rustling of leaves in the avocado tree. A lot of movement. Um. Cats are stealthy. They don't move like that. And Little Guy was just reaching the upper branch of the rose tree.
I'm no rocket scientist but it was easy to conclude that Little Guy had been separated from the safety of mom and family and was trying to get back up there where all that rustling was happening. Who the heck knows what kind of opossum family reunion was going on up there and how many had been invited. I did an about face and came back inside right quick. I told the parents about our current tenants and mom was horrified. She is scared shitless of the things because they look like huge rats. We used to leave patio doors open on warm nights to help with ventilation when the AC is not really called for but now she asks me to close all doors, terrified that they'll find their way in and not wanting to get close to the door, herself, in case they are already at the threshold.
It's an exciting life we lead.
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