I Am an Animal Keeper - Spotting Urban Wildlife

For the past few days we have had a house guest. Adadot, a "old friend" from the time we attended Marymount High School together, comes 2 or 3 times a year to visit and we always enjoy catching up on our lives.

Our paths took different directions after high school.  She went into medicine, practiced in various places around the US and ended up in Tennessee where she currently lives on a lovely lake and regales us with stories about the wildlife that inhabits her neighborhood.  I have always thought that was something we missed out on living in urban Los Angeles.  However as the days of the visit passed some incidents occurred that made me realize that we, too, have wildlife...so much so that Adadot said, "You should write a blog post entitled I Am an Animal Keeper!"

Here is what we have spotted in recent days:

First of all, year-round we are entertained watching the antics of the numerous happy hummingbirds that visit the feeder suspended from the porch rafter.

Jay is the official host, making sure to keep the feeder filled with his homemade nectar. If the levels drop too low the hummingbirds will actually buzz the window as if calling..."Waiter!" With the terrace filled with glorious red and purple flowers the birds need is not so immediate but during the winter months, his caretaking truly keeps them going.

Then we have our personal "gourmet squirrel."  Not content to just gather nuts (are there any in LA other than those who walk some of our streets?), this guy ambles into my garden, rummages and selects the tastiest organically grown swiss chard leaf he can find and then has the nerve to sit up on the wall, in front of our window, and boldly chomp away as if to say, "Could you please pass the balsamic vinigarette?"

This morning we were awakened by sounds coming from the pool in the backyard.  There we found a migrating Mallard duck couple, checking out the pool as a possible stopping ground.

We are usually visited by a male and female each spring. We don't know if it is the same couple or various ones, but each year they make a stop.  As much as we would like to extend our hospitality, we usually have to chase them off by waving towels. One year they actually nested here and the mess created in the pool was something to behold.  And....a chlorine pool with threatening neighborhood cats is not the best environment for them anyway.  So we wished them well and sent them on their way.

It is easy to have your eyes glaze over as you look out over the concrete and asphalt of our urban landscape.  High rise buildings, 8 and 10 lane highways, neon lights can all distract you from nature's attempt to maintain a hold on the environment.  Fauna and flora do reside!  So I remind myself to stay awake and stay alert to observe the daily interaction between humans and the local biodiversity. We can happily co-exist!!