Under ordinary conditions I like birds of prey. But the red-shouldered hawks in this neighborhood have about outstayed their welcome, at least from me. The hawks moved in, built a nest in a big pine a few houses away, and set up serious housekeeping. First it seemed to be the introduced Cuban Brown Anoles that were the preferred prey. Although I enjoy watching the anoles they really don’t belong here and there seems no way the hawks could get them all anyway.

A few years ago, Patti and I decided that the Southern Toads needed a helping hand to make it through what seemed to be a never ending drought. We put a little 10 x 12 foot pond up on the hill and toad song again filled the neighborhood. And Southern Leopard Frogs moved in. The toads were pretty nocturnal but the leopard frogs were active both day and night. The hawks soon found these. New prey.

But then the Eastern Garter Snakes and Southern Black Racers also found the frogs in our puddle. The snakes moved in and their populations persisted for about three years. It was nice to see a big racer periscoping for frogs.