Urban Wildlife

I realize that we live in basically an urban environment here in Long Beach, and I've posted before about our "Lonely Harvest" and the wasps that live in a tiny nest in the rafters of our balcony.

But, in addition to the wasps, I've been noticing our critter neighbors who struggle making a life in the immediate vicinity around our place.

There is a squirrel that teases Tuxedo and some of the other neighborhood cats. It'll stay up high in the trees and squawk down at them, taunting and screeching. It's amusing, but hard to photograph.

Another thing that's hard to photograph is the bee-hive that's on top of our apartment, but here's an attempt:

You can almost see them buzzing around the opening of the drainpipe. I think that's pretty close to their hive's opening.

There's also a murder of crows that have laid claim to this section of downtown Long Beach. They roll through on what I suppose are their rounds every few days and make a racket while silencing all the other birds. Sometimes in the mornings one will perch right on the top of the post centered in the picture below. That post is pretty close to our bedroom window, and the crow that perches there will make all sorts of noise.

That's when I stick my head through the blinds and squawk back at it, getting its attention. Eventually I scare it away, but it hesitates like the proper upper echelon predatory bird that it is around here.

Earlier today something had the crows worked up. That something? A hawk chilling on the sidewalk, paying them no mind. It took off before a picture could be had, but the crows didn't seem to take too kindly to that incursion.

Hawks, crows, bees, wasps, squirrels and cats...it's a regular nature show around here if you know where to look.