Visitors to the garden

[lark_ascends]

We had a visitor in our garden yesterday, a snake. I live in Sydney, Australia, so it's lovely summer (although it's actually been coolish the last two mornings and some areas of southern Australia got snow, go figure!). My parents spotted the snake's head coming out of the garden near our door, and when they tried to chase it away it disappeared somewhere into the wilds of our garden. Since later finding its shed skin, we know that it's a tree snake (its skin was up in a tree!) and so completely harmless. Considering how wild our garden is, we don't know how long it had been living here.

Anyway, it got me thinking about visitors in the garden or on your balcony (visiting you, really)--unusual ones, unwanted ones, ones that you love the most. So, comm members, what are yours?

We once had a goanna (big big lizard) try to make friends with our rabbit that lived in the bottom of a bird aviary, and the rabbit didn't realise that the goanna could very well eat it. We've also got brush turkeys that come out of the local bush and wander through gardens--we don't want one taking up residence in ours, thank you very much! My favourite visitor to the garden is the butcher bird. They have the most gorgeous song and can imitate other birds. Here's an example of part of their song.

Comments

[haruka]

I envy you your garden and the wildlife. Maybe after we move I'll finally have some again.

[lark_ascends]

Do you have a balcony or anything that you get visitors at?

I do know that we are lucky with such a garden (who knows what I'll have when I finally do move out of home).

[haruka]

We've got a deck, but this area stinks for birds or wildlife. There are no trees or vegetation; we're right on the ocean, so all we get are seagulls. That's one reason I'm moving. X(

[lark_ascends]

Ahhh, bugger.

[holyschist]

In the past, raccoons and deer have been the most exciting (and woodpeckers, for birds). I live in an apartment complex now, so pretty much all I see are cats, squirrels, and really common birds.

The vacant lot near me is much more exciting.

[lark_ascends]

Deer. I love the idea of deer.

What do you see at the vacant lot?

[holyschist]

Mostly prairie dogs and rabbits, but sometimes raptors. It's great snake habitat, but I haven't seen any there yet.

I've seen foxes in the area, too, usually at night. They've adapted pretty well to an urban environment.

[lark_ascends]

Thanks for linking to that post. Very very cool.

[meretia]

When I lived down in the southeastern corner of the state, just at the edge of the Appalachian foothills, about all we had around our building were grey squirrels. I moved five years ago, but I still kind of hate squirrels, they were so many and so obnoxious there. But my friends who lived on the ridges up over town had all kinds of strange things in their yards; deer and wild turkeys and copperhead snakes and wolf spiders three inches across.

[lark_ascends]

Okay, spiders that big... *shudders dramatically*

Sounds like it was invasion of the squirrels. ;-)