Lita and I are at our house in Scottsdale. It is located in a gated community where the rules require that the landscaping stay natural and there is a lot of space between homes. As a result there are a lot of wild animals and birds who make their home in this area. You often see a line of Quail with their bobbing heads rush across the road. Small rabbits dash across the property at top speed and then freeze at the first sign of any danger staying totally still and hoping to blend into the background. Once we had a small Cougar sunning himself in our back yard even though it has a high wall around it.

One really ugly animal that we see from time to time are the Havalina pig. They were imported by explorers and have been spreading across the Southern U.S. for some 470 years. They show up around the unfenced part of the house from time to time looking for food, smelling bad and making noise. They are one ugly animal

What is more disturbing are the Coyotes who roam through this area. They are threat to pets and don’t seem very apprehensive about people. Last night there was a very loud howling outside our backyard wall. It was loud enough I got up and opened the door. It was a Coyote and he or she was responding to the howl of another Coyote some distance away. Within moments every dog in the neighborhood was barking and making noise. It was a cacophony of noise that you wouldn’t believe with the two coyotes continuing their howling back and forth, undisturbed by the barking dogs.

The stars are beautiful and clear at night in North Scottsdale.
We are right at the bottom of Pinnacle Peak a unique rock formation. The area is a wonder of natural stone formations and vegetation. The animals and birds are plentiful. But, I keep the dogs on a leash here and watch them.