Some months ago I stumbled across a chameleon in a nearby thicket, and after taking several snapshots using my camera phone, I thought of  a plan to photograph the little creatures in my backyard and surrounding areas.

So here is a little sample wildlife that inhabit my backyard and surrounding areas …

The chameleon – a very distinctive and well-known species of lizard, due to the large eyes, curled tail and ability to change their skin coloration. As a young kid I remember chameleons being so common but nowadays I rarely come across any, so it was an incredible stroke of luck to come across this guy.

SAMSUNG

 

 

Chameleons are not the only lizard species that reside in my backyard ….

Wildlife in my backyard_Lizard

 

Wildlife in my backyard_gecko

 

 

Imagine my excitement when I came across these guys, a species of parrots known as Fischer’s love birds. According to Wikipedia the species are found in the Serengeti in Tanzania, interesting to spot them in the midst of the concrete jungle that is Nairobi.

Wildlife in my backyard_fischers lovebird

 not the best shot since I had to zoom from afar, could not risk getting close and missing the magical opportunity.

 

Tiny, pugnacious, and jewel-like, hummingbirds are very common. Hummingbirds are able to perch and will do so at feeders regularly. Because they fly so much, they have poorly developed feet. They can barely walk at all. The hummingbird is much more comfortable in flight.

Wildlifein my backyard_humming bird on banana 2

 

Wildlife in my backyard_humming bird on banana

 

She finally comes down and I’m able to take a better shot …

Wildlife in my backyard_humming bird

 

 

A shiny black humming bird, I don’t know whether it’s a different species or a male (in the bird world males happen to be more colorful)

Wildlife in my backyard_black humming bird 2

 

Wildlife in my backyard_black humming bird

 

 

These little red birds are also very common, I happened to capture what seems to be a grooming session

Wildlife in my backyard_robins 2

 

Wildlife in my backyard_robins

 

Wildlife in my backyard_robin on log

 

 

 

A strange bird of prey, looks like a falcon …

Wildlife in my backyard_bird of prey

 

 

A raven perched on a traffic light

Wildlife in my backyard_raven

 

 

Relaxing in the shade …. 

Wildlife in my backyard_orange breast bird

 

 

Enough with the birds lets check some insects. I was able to capture close shots of this butterfly with it’s feeding tubes (proboscises) fully extended …

Wildlife in my backyard_butterfly close up 2

 

Wildlife in my backyard_butterfly close up 3

 

Wildlife in my backyard_butterfly close up

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

 

A honey bee doing it’s thing …

Wildlife in my backyard_honeybee

 

 

Another huge one that looks like a cross between a  bee and a wasp …

Wildlife in my backyard_big insect

 

 

Are these tiny things  ladybirds?

Wildlife in my backyard_ladybird

 

Wildlife in my backyard_orange ladybird

 

 

Wildlife in my backyard_mosquito

looks like some type of mosquito

 

Slimy slugs very common during the rainy season

Wildlife in my backyard_slug

 

Wildlife in my backyard_slug on banana stem

 

Wildlife in my backyard_toilet fly

 

 

Take a closer look ….

Wildlife in my backyard_spider

a spider

 

Wildlifein my backyard_centipede

 

 

And the sun finally sets …..

Wildlife in my backyard_sunset 1

 

So you’ve seen a sample of wildlife in my backyard. Tell me what you think … What wildlife do you have in your backyard ?

This week Safari 254 links up with;

1. Reflections enroute #wkendtravelinspiration

2. Noel Morata’s Travel Photo Mondays

Please visit the sites for more wonderful photos and posts.

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11 Comments

  1. December 7, 2014 at 10:10 pm — Reply

    Wowee! I don’t have anywhere near that kind of backyard with the exception of some birds. Oh, and a neighborhood raccoon which roams around late at night. In a residential area! I found that he lives in a storm drain directly across the street from me. I’ve seen him come across the street for a few years now and just recently started to come up my walkway until we were startled by each other and ran in opposite directions lol! Raccoons are cute in pictures but nothing to mess with. My favorite of your pictures was that butterfly!! LOVED your photos as always, Rachael and have a great day! 🙂

  2. December 8, 2014 at 9:38 am — Reply

    I love that the Gecko was regrowing his tail. I used to keep Love Birds – they are so pretty. Wow, I’ve never seen those red birds and I love that they are common for you to see. Your chameleon shot is great and the car shot is a winner.

  3. December 8, 2014 at 12:39 pm — Reply

    Wow! You have quite the colorful yard!!! I hate insects and bugs and lizards, so you know whenever l go back home, l am always anxious 🙂 . In L.A, hills, l had a frigging deer in my yard, made a home under my deck, and it took forever to get rid of him. I always saw coyotes and deer too. In Texas, we had snakes (yuck), all sorts of bugs. Now, we only have flies..lol..and some green parrots that are native to Malaga. Great pictures!!!!

  4. December 9, 2014 at 12:55 am — Reply

    I’m impressed with your ability to capture these creatures. I always seem to have trouble getting photos of insects, so I know how hard it can be. That butterfly with the proboscis is terrific. I also never new that hummingbirds turned themselves upside down.

  5. December 9, 2014 at 5:04 am — Reply

    I love this idea for a post although I scrolled really quickly past the spider – lol. You have such a variety of wildlife in your backyard, and it makes me wonder exactly what I’d find in mine.

  6. December 9, 2014 at 3:08 pm — Reply

    What delightful life in your backyard. Gorgeous shots.

  7. Manesha
    December 10, 2014 at 10:34 am — Reply

    I actually love this post,is it lady bird or lady bug? I remember catching them when younger and watching them as they strolled on our palms. As for the chameleons, yes Westlands was abound..are they going extinct?

  8. December 10, 2014 at 3:01 pm — Reply

    You got some amazing close ups there! What a wonderful idea, a safari on your doorstep. Being in little old England the only wildlife in my garden is the neighbouring cat that torments my dog and some birds which sit outside my window.

  9. December 13, 2014 at 6:11 pm — Reply

    I want to live here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  10. December 17, 2014 at 5:49 am — Reply

    Wow! How wonderful must it be to have a backyard visited by so many amazing animals! What is a backyard and everyday to you is a completely exotic place to someone like me. We don’t get a whole lot of visitors, except for turkeys and chipmunks, and those don’t really like to be photographed (they either fly away or scurry away so fast I don’t get a chance to take a photo).

  11. December 17, 2014 at 8:28 am — Reply

    Beautiful collection of photos! Wow, my kids would have a field day in your backyard. Some of these wildlife are amazing especially the chameleon and lizards. How neat is that to see. I get a lot of spiders, snails and hummingbirds but that’s about it. Sometimes, you don’t have to travel far to find the most interesting things.

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