I can’t believe I got him. I was out walking around the car, working on something or other when I saw him cross the drive. He is almost faster than you can see, even if you are looking in the right direction. This time I half saw him cross, I turned my head as he paused on the other side and our eyes locked. His stoic grin was simple, you’ll never catch me. Would I go one more time for my Nikon camera and try for a good shot, a real shot?
To try to be as fast and quiet as he is. Oh, if only we could mimic an animals abilities as well as we can project ours onto them. I had an internal discussion for a moment- should I really go grab the camera one more time? he’ll just be gone anyway. Go get it, that what we’re out here for. Yeah, okay okay, I’m going, I’m going.
Of course by time I came back out, he had vanished into to the under brush. I stood with camera in hand scanning the other side of the drive with my lens as far down as I could see. Then coming back this side of the drive I spotted him right on the edge of camp. Apparently some animals you can lure with food and others you can lure with shelter. My large duffel bag, laid out waiting to be packed, had provided a nice bit of shelter with shade, stick, and sun.
As I pulled the lens away from my eye was shocked I had gotten a shot, though freehand with practically no time to compose my shot. My eyes still locked with his I went to my belly where I had stood just a moment before, maybe ten feet away- and he just sat there and soaked in another second of sunshine and let me. I don’t think he twitched a muscle between the first and second shots. Over a month trying to get a shot of him.. wait count the days.. forty.
Forty days in the desert here at Brantley Lake State Park, and I’ve seen him (or one of his species) maybe a dozen times or so all over the place out here. One even while I was driving – I saw one skitter across the road at light speed. Obviously I wanted a photo of one, yet I was starting to get discouraged. I have chased for a photo of this lizard each time I’ve spotted him and usually he’s gone before I can even get my iPhone out of my pocket. Even if I did at his size (maybe five inches snout to tail tip,) it would have been too blurry to see anything.
Yet today creation smiled on me and let me get two great photos. Rising from the second click, he made it to the other side before my lens could follow.. or did I catch him in there? Let me know if you If you can see him making his escape!
Time to rest.