Faux Falls

Every now and then I need to completely dry out the pond to clean it out. I worried about cutting off the water supply to all the critters who drink out of it throughout the day. The last time I dried it out I made a couple of small watering holes with garbage bags and gravel. Last week I found this little self contained artificial waterfall at a garage sale, and figured it would be a nice auxiliary water source. It took the doves and quail a little while to try it out, but the finches and woodpeckers adapted instantly. I shoved a bunch of natural rocks up in and around it to make it look more natural for the thirsty visitors.


When I moved out here I figured I'd traded in all my squirrels for rabbits, but I had a squirrel in my yard a couple of weeks ago.


One of the fledglings from the nest above my back patio, took his first decent into the world below today. I was out on the patio getting ready to set something up on my shelf, when I noticed this little guy using the shelf as a launch pad. I didn't spook him because he's kinda used to peering down at me from the nest. I'm happy he sat still long enough to pose.



Here is a shot of a Quail sitting atop the faux falls.

This is the second time I've spotted a Coachwhip in my yard. These have the most beautiful coral colored scales. Their body is mostly a combination of black pink and white, while their heads are mostly black. I was able to get a shot of the same species year before last. He was about twice the size of the one posted above. I posted a shot of him over here. Although they are not venomous, you don't really want to tangle with these. From what I hear they can be quite aggressive when trying to defend themselves. They are extremely swift, hence the name "Coachwhip". Oh yeah, also I posted a larger version of this image, just click on the picture for the larger version. Thanks for visiting.