This morning while I sit outside and drink my coffee, my eyes follow my little cat around the yard as she investigates this new desert territory .  It's Spring and we decided to head down to the desert to escape the still falling snow in Telluride.  I have to admit that I am as interested in what's going on at ground level as my cat is, the ground is still frozen at home, and neither of us have seen any scampering little creatures in a while.   And, well, I love that sort of thing as much as the next cat. 

Watching our little Birdie cat, while sipping my warmth in the warmth, I am amused how she hunts everything.  Really, everything.  She creeps quietly to sneak up on her prey, she crouches,  she swishes her tail very slowly back and forth, she flattens her ears to avoid being injured in battle, and then she barely wiggles her entire body, warming up her launch muscles.  And then pounce-a-roo!  She leaps forward with the speed and agility of well, a house cat, trapping her wild prey just under my chair while I quickly yank up my legs with a little pump of adrenaline and an expletive escaping.  Is it a mouse or a lizard (which happens to be my worst fear)?  I slowly bend sideways, my feet still up, to get a look and it is far more dangerous than I imagined!  It is a bottle cap my son dropped 10 minutes ago.  I chuckle with relief, but I am actually a bit let down.  After all that, I was hoping to be rewarded with a bizarre desert creature, but happy nonetheless that there is not one under my feet.  So, I decide to follow her to witness a true huntress in action.   Maybe I will see something spectacular, right here in my own backyard.  Heck, I might be able to photograph it!   I have to be honest, after a bit of time together, the prey was never more exciting than a stick, a leaf, or a passing shadow.  Maybe my presence interferes with the real hunting, or maybe I overestimate her skill set.  Or maybe the real hunting starts after sunset.   Despite coming home empty pawed, I did enjoy the quality time with her, watching her explore and thanked her for allowing me to experience a backyard cat adventure with a little scratch around her ears.  I guess I can relax knowing that she is doing her job to keep the worst invaders away.  Still... I do have a lingering fear that she will come back inside with one of those terrifying lizards in her mouth.   

Birdie 4

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Brenda Colwell

Photographer, Equestrian, Airstream Enthusiast

 970-729-1026  

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