July 2, 2004
The Costa’s is still around, and I’ve also seen black chins and maybe Anna’s. And lots and lots and lots of lizards. In fact, as I type this looking out on the back patio, a fairly big lizard sits in the shade of the porch, gazing at the pond. I’ve GOT to learn one from the other. Unlike the man who lived here before us, I can’t call all the lizards “Larry.”

Not much new on the nature front. The monsoon is late—now is not supposed to start before about the tenth or even later, one of the latest monsoons ever. The upside is that though it’s hot, it’s not humid, and the mornings are still cool for walks along the river.

The grapefruit has been putting out a ton of new leaves, mostly on the formerly denuded branches. A sweet little chipmunk regularly drinks from the pond, then scampers away. In addition to the hummers, I have something very tiny and flitty visiting the tube feeders. I assume they are verdins, but I don’t remember the ones at the old house being so flitty. I haven’t seen them yet up close.

The Costa’s is visiting a feeder I recently hung just outside the kitchen window. Also just outside the kitchen windows, and indeed everywhere on the porch, we have a gazllion baby cactus wrens. They are SO CUTE! They look just like miniaturized versions of the adults, and they are if anything even bolder and more curious.