After work one evening, I headed out to the park to check on the hawk family. Henry was standing on their dining table (as I like to call it) chomping on....I don't know what! At the time, I was shooting so far away, I figured I would be able to discern the meal once the images were downloaded onto my computer. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I thought possibly it was a snake -- a somewhat odd shaped snake which had been chewed on by a hawk -- but, nevertheless a snake. So, I summoned the SDP Junior Editor for consultation. She too was equally perplexed, until she saw this next photo...
...and declared, 'That's a skink! Look at that skinny tail and wide body. Yep, it's a skink!' I'm a native northerner and I thought a skink was a fictitious creature. (And, the name of a delightful fictitious Florida governor created by author Carl Hiaasen, one of my favorite writers.) I figured the Junior Editor, a native Floridian, was pulling my leg. Turns out, though, skinks do exist! They're a cross between a lizard and a snake (creepy). And, the photos I reviewed during my research seem to corroborate the skink theory. The things I learn as SDP Editor-in-Chief! If anyone has reason to believe Henry's dinner was something other than a skink, please let me know. By the way, someone asked how I can discern Henry and Henrietta. Henry is smaller and tends to be more skittish. And with that, the H & H series now is on hiatus. Thanks for all your kind comments about the series. Stay tuned!
6 comments:
A mystery solved! You really have a great series going here!
Fascinating SRQ. Yes we have 'skinks' here also. What a great shot of Henry arriving home with diner!!
Love this series. I think Hiaasen is the greatest, too. And I also thought of skinks as less than real. Great job here. Maybe the less skinks the better?
Eeek!
Great photos. I saw a perched Kestrel eating what I thought was a lizard a few days ago...I'm still not exactly sure what the snack was! Whatever it was, he ate the whole thing!
I don't think that studying Henry's eating habits will help my own digestion, so I will take your word for it. I love Hiassen, too. Ever read any Randy Wayne White? (Say that three times fast!)
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