Well, the Scottish and Irish lasses overwhelmed me and forced me, under threats of banishment from the Kingdom, if I did not return my cute little black scorpion back to his hole under the plywood :( I wasn't quite ready to give up the little sweetie, but they would have none of that. I was hoping that I could calm it down enough to put him in the palm of my hand for test of confidence. Oh, well darn. I'll find another sometime.
Another thing I am looking for is a camel spider. They quite large and ugly looking and had the troops in Iraq petrified when they first arrived. There are a ton of myths surrounding these creatures, but they are harmles. Doesn't mean that they can't bite with their huge mandibles. You just have to stay away from them at first, until you can calm the critter.
Attached is a nice photo taken by Ugur of a spiny-tail lizard in full color. They are normally gray, like under his throat, but when they sit in the sun the skin pigment changes, ranging from a bright yellow to a white. This specimen is about 24 inches from nose to the tip of the tail. I have targeted him for capture to study up close. Amother photo is of some Black-winged Stilts that flew over Ugur out at the spray field. They are common around here in the flats that have water. The other photo is a White-cheeked Bulbul, an invasive species from Asia. They are one of the more common birds around the camp. Also, some more photos of the birding group out in the spray field.
I love the cartoon! Do more, do more! The lizard--is the yellow pigment a defense, you think? I wonder why the yellow....
ReplyDeleteThe Dahb lizards soak up the sun during the heat of the day and when they do they turn yellowish to whitish. It isn't a defensive mechanism, although it is harder to see them against the light tan color of the desert floor. Early in the morning or on cloudy days they are grey in color and the contrast is marked,aking them easier to spot on the distance.
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