A Lizard Lunch

I saw two white cattle egrets having lunch the other day at a strip mall in East Honolulu.

Wildlife (especially the “lower” forms of the animal kingdom) has always fascinated me. Many is the day when zoology has totally consumed me.

I remember borrowing books about insects and reptiles from the library and reading as I walked to Japanese language school, bumping into people, stepping into sidewalk doggie doo, totally immersed in the fascinating facts of wildlife. I would then continuing my reading as I walked to my grandmother’s house from the school.

Consequently, whenever I see natural history played out in an urban environment, it strikes me as that much more special to see the survival of the fittest at work.

The egrets were pecking around a KFC drive-up window, and I saw one of them stab into the bushes. It emerged with an anole lizard in its beak – a pretty big one that that. The other egret took note of the situation and began walking into the bushy landscaping, apparently on the prowl for a similar tidbit.

Perhaps at another time, I might have joined them and bought myself a chicken lunch. But not that day, as I’d just had lunch and was about to drive home.

Maybe next time.