Lizards.

I have mentioned before about the wildlife around this house we are house sitting. Apart from the birds there are some hares, some possums that come out each night looking for a feed (Peter often puts out a carrot for them) and some quite large lizards.

I don’t know if lizards get to know people in the houses. I know for sure that many of the birds round here seem to know us. My baby still sings for food most days, and now, around 4pm each night, the trees fill up with birds waiting for their supper of seeds and soggy bread and honey. But the lizards are very different.

I don’t really know the names of these lizards. They live up the back but are pretty mobile and get all around the acre we look after. Sometimes they are down the front, and often they are up the back amongst the trees. They are a sort of grey colour so blend in with the colours of the tree trunks.  We have several of different sizes, the larger ones maybe 18 inches long, and one smaller one.

 

Peter got up really close as he was hanging onto the tree.

Just the head and face.

They can sit immobile for ages, often in a warm spot in the sun up behind the house. 

The other day, Peter was mowing the lawns, a fairly regular thing lately with the grass growing nicely. He was right beside this lizard on the mower, and the lizard had no intention of moving so Peter went around him. A few minutes later on his next circuit of the lawn the lizard had climbed the tree. He just sat there watching Peter as he took these lovely pictures.

 

The often wander across the grass in front of the lounge area. They like to sit close to the stones and concrete to keep warm. Here is the smallest one right beside the entrance. He is not so easy to see, but you can see his tail on the footpath by the small rocks there. He ran off as I got closer .