Iguana vs Grackle

Floater’s Blog: Pool Date November 5th 2023

I was enjoying a Toña in the pool at the villa during a hot and sunny afternoon when I saw a Kiskadee, a Great Kiskadee fly down to the top of the pool stairs. This is an unusual location for the Kiskadee in the yard but he hopped down to the first step and proceeded to consume some water, which is fine. I like the Kiskadee doing that, it's good for them.

But then in the background a head popped up, or was it?

No, it hasn’t moved again, just a leaf blowing in the wind.

Wait, it moved again! It is a head, the head of an iguana. It’s a small mottled brown iguana, not much larger than the Kiskadee except for the length of his tail. I preceded to watch him as he climbed from the edge of the pool into a small shrub to consume leaves and flowers.This is the first time I had seen this in the garden and it was a wonderful behavior to observe. After a short time of snacking he made a sudden leap into some low mango tree branches nearby.

Unfortunately, one of the grackles which frequent our pool flew down for his usual bathing experience or a drink of water, but he saw the iguana and scared him away. Now, I don’t like the grackles to begin with because they shit around the edge of the pool all the time, but this behaviour is just atrocious! The iguana is not doing anything against the grackles, he doesn’t eat their eggs like some other animals do, he’s just eating plants. Leave the iguana alone Mr. Grackle and stop shitting around the edge of my pool!

But wait, there is more.

I notice the iguana has made his way to one of the hibiscus shrubs a little further away and is slowly crawling up a branch. Unfortunately the grackle has also caught sight and proceeds to flit over to a lower portion of the same branch and then work his way up behind the iguana to make a stabbing peck on its back. I’m shocked! And pissed off!

The iguana has now leapt into the nearby palm tree and has fled and the bird is grackle-non-grata as I have paddled over to splash him as much as I can until he flies away.

Pecking Grackle, who woulda thunk it!

Needless to say I made my goal, for the rest of the afternoon, to stop all grackles from enjoying any activity related to getting any refreshment from the pool!

Iguana, you are welcome back anytime!

Corliss Buenavida

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