You would think that living in the midst of all the traffic and homes of Sun City we would have little in the way of wildlife. This time of year my favorite place is on the back patio with a book in my hand. But....I am constantly distracted with all the activity around my back yard. Just yesterday: 2 rabbits, 3 types of doves, mockingbirds, 2 lizards running along the top of the wall, yellow swallowtail butterflies, thrasher, towhee, house finches, grackles, 2 fearless pigeons, a steady stream of hummingbirds, a woodpecker that loves hummingbird water and I never tire of watching the quail. Mind you, I don't put out any feed except for hummingbird feeders and a bird bath. So, slow down and watch what goes on around you. It's free entertainment and the lineup changes daily!
Absolutely spot on aggie. There's so much to see if we just open our eyes and look. The occasional pack of coyote's wandering from the golf course and even more the rare sighting of a family of javelina is truly a treat. And how many of you have seen a road runner hurrying along? I still would love to see our new electronic signage flashing this message: Slow down and live in Sun City. We all tend to get in too much of hurry to enjoy all of which we have.
It's been a very long time since I saw a roadrunner in Sun City, probably the early 80's? It was also common to see the long-eared jackrabbits which are a rarity anymore.
Those long eared beauties are called desert jacks and are one of my favorites, but unfortunately aren't as visible as they used to be. Phase 3 had more of them for some reason, and as I drive the girls around in the car and golf car I still come a cross a stray here and there. Here's a link to a picture from the net: desert jack
Yesterday I saw our first quail family running amongst our lantana in the backyard. There must be 10-15 ping pong ball sized chicks with 3 adults trying to keep them together. This morning I had to chase out a large striped tomcat out of the yard. All the birds in the area were sounding the alarm.
