Because I live in a rural area, on the outskirts of Tucson, a lot of animals criss cross my yard. Some just passing through and others take up residence depending on the amount of food available and the safety they can find. Still others come here just to die. All the pictures you see on this page were taken by me in my yard over many years.
The birds are the most plentiful. In springtime they are everywhere, under the eaves, in flowerpots, in trees and they nest even in cactus (cactus wren). They nest in places good enough and some not so good, to rear their young.
A lot of digging occurs in the ground, holes every where: caused by rabbits, chipmunks, ground squirrels, tarantulas, etc. Lizards scoot over my patio and some wait for a handout; they love mealworms and eat them out of my hand.
I have been "accused" of upsetting the balance of nature around the house; by feeding birds and rabbits I attract hawks and coyotes and snakes. It is a real jungle out there!
But I guess nature here is more upset by the ever more building of supermarkets with their square miles of parking lots and
by the new housing developments.
I enjoy the animals while they are around and while I am still around.
Charlene on the look-out
Charlene, a rock squirrel used to scratch the patio door "asking" to be let into the house. Upon entering she would go straight for the fridge knowing there were the grapes she liked. 
We knew her for 4 years; twice a year she would show up with her litter of new ones. One day she didn't show up and we never saw her again. We enjoyed her "company" and really miss her.
stealing grapes
Habib, the newborn rabbit was found in the backyard all by himself. His eyes were still closed and his ears still flat. We had to feed it every three hours, day and night. After a few days he became very lively and he was running freely through the house. At night when the alarm went off for another feeding, Frieda had to find him first and then catch him. He was hard to catch. He was fast and could jump like a flea. After six weeks we considered him to be grown-up and put him at the place where he was found. We saw him regularly afterwards until one day he disappeared.
