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Not All Animals Enjoy Early Morning

 There is no denying that the holidays this year are very different.  Holiday parties, rushing into stores, and a long line of gifts waiting to be wrapped wasn't something that was part of my holiday this year.  I am a rather extreme optimist and so I look toward the positives of this holiday.  I envisioned a very relaxed holiday with plenty of time to just enjoy the season.  Surprisingly this holiday didn't feel less busy and it sort of snuck up on me in a way that had me putting up my tree just a week and a half ago.  My escapes into nature were limited this month but I did carve out time early one morning to explore and was met with some rather grumpy characters who made me smile.




Spoon-bill Duck in Water

This spoon-billed duck was full of determination and while I don't think that he was swimming directly at me to get me to move, he didn't seem thrilled that I was present or perhaps he just couldn't believe that it was morning already.  I backed up some but this serious and rather grumpy expression didn't leave him.  I was very happy to see him as he is a recent winter arrival to the deserts of Arizona and he was the first I spotted this season.  


Desert Hare Photo

Then there is this guy who is clearly a morning bunny and fully in the holiday spirit.  He was a very large desert rabbit and I spotted him hanging out behind a scrub bush.  He didn't move at all nor did he seem to mind my presence.  He reacted to very little going on around him as if he couldn't believe that he was awake so early and decided to just stare and rest before facing the world.  He is probably one of the largest desert bunnies I have ever seen.  I am thinking that he might have been an older bunny or just puffed up in the cool early morning air.  Perhaps his serious approach to life has allowed him to survive.  




Water Bird Photo

Lastly is this large bird who didn't seem grumpy so much as determined to stand on one leg yet just didn't have the balance on this particular morning.   He shifted from one leg to another trying to balance and stand tall like his friends but after almost five minutes of trying, he gave up and flew away.  He not only gave me a smile but made me realize that everyone even wild animals can have their challenges with coordination in the morning.  
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I am very much a morning person though I have not always been.  It was refreshing to not only take a break and visit my animal friends but also to see that not all animals are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed early in the morning.  Some lack coordination, others just sit and watch the world go by for a bit, and some are just downright grumpy.
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