24th October 2008 : Spotty & Spiky Nocturnal Visitors
Friday, October 24, 2008 at 11:18PM This evening while I was catching up on reading the news and surfing the net a little, the genet cats appeared...several of them, but impossible to count how many there were altogether as they all look so similar, and they're always darting from one place to the next (I definitely saw two together, if not more)...but there is one genet, who is particularly tame and is identifiable by the double notches in his left ear:
Who's that by the door?
Well, are you coming in or aren't you?
This beautiful carpet was brought back from Afghanistan by my husband, Ian...it's a fine place for a genet cat these days!
Two-Notch Charlie (I've just this second named him that - all the other genets between whom we cannot yet differentiate are all Jean Genie) is recognizable by the distinctive double notches in his left ear
A handsome wee fella in profile too...
Two-Notch Charlie is eyeing up the salami on the table...
Just making sure it's safe to do so, before he jumps onto the table (far too close for me to be able to focus) and grabs his treat. By the way, if you're wondering why the carpet is bent over like this, it's because it's so windy here at the moment, that everything is being blown all over the place. I've put the carpet back so many times, only for it to get blown over again, that I've now given up and just left it there!)
Waiting for more...like a puppy, this genet can wear you down with those "poor me" eyes, waiting ever so patiently until I relent and go back to the kitchen to fetch more goodies...
For such small, delicate cats (which are not really cats, but more closely related to mongooses), genets have very long tails which help them to balance when climbing trees (or walls to get into our house)...
While I was feeding and chatting to the genets (yes, I know, talking to animals is only one step away from insanity!), I heard a loud crunching noise coming from just outside the kitchen...I knew immediately what it was (for I had seen the same nocturnal visitor three nights ago, for the very first time), so I thought I'd push my luck and sneak around with my camera until I could get a clear view of the area...
Who's this coming around the corner?
None other than a Porcupine! This huge rodent (which stands over two feet tall, quills included) has been coming to feed on the left-over maize [corn] which I throw on the ground each evening after feeding the dik diks. Porcupines are notoriously difficult to photograph because they are so painfully shy and are also nocturnal. They spend the day sleeping in underground burrows, only emerging in the hours of darkness to forage. To be able to repeatedly photograph this rarely seen animal, even with a flash, from such close quarters was an extraordinary piece of luck for me.
Hang on! What's this? Not one, but TWO porcupines! How amazing! The second one turned out to be much more shy than the first, and was nervous of my flash, so I tried to resist photographing it too much because I did not want to scare it...but I had to take a couple of shots, just to prove there were two of them...
The first porcupine stayed and munched away quite contentedly while my camera flashed away...you can see from this big close up (which has not been cropped, although of course I have re-sized it), that I was quite close to it...
From behind, it looks like an untidy collection of spikes that's been dragged through a hedge backwards...
Look at those quills!
Behind the porcupine, a hare was happily devouring our lawn (no need for electrical lawn mowers around here!)
I thought Halloween wasn't 'til next week...so what's with the scary eyes?! [Did you know that, if an animal's eyes reflect light, like those of hares, porcupines and genets do, it means they can see in the dark?]
And not to be left out, here's one of the genets (must be Jean Genie!) with the porcupine.
Now I know who's been eating the plants in the flowerbeds leading up to our front door - the cheek of it!
That's right, stick to the maize (at least until I've turned away, then do your damage as you will!)
Sometimes I really think our house has been invaded, and we are merely quite useful to have around for many of the invaders...
Here's a squirrel emerging from the kitchen, as if he owns the place (we're back onto daytime animals now, obviously)
Another squirrel makes himself at home under the balcony furniture...
These days the starlings don't wait for us to put food on the bird table, they come to us as we're eating our breakfast and demand their share, there and then!
While this Agama Lizard in our living room looks...well, let's just put it this way: he doesn't look like he's too concerned whether or not we want him in the house! Truth be told, of course, we love all these creatures sharing our home with us...or is it the other way round and we are sharing their home?
THE END
(for tonight anyway, as elephants trumpet in the river below the house and my eyelids droop...it's 1am and for a lightweight like me, that's LATE!)
Reader Comments (12)
Wonderful! Wonderful! (claps hands) Those are amazing photos. Thank you for posting.
Finally, I can comment again. I have been trying for ages to leave a comment without succes. today my husband de-virused my computer so maybe that had something to do with it. Anyway, what great, closeup photos. You have a very busy household.
Hello Denise - Thanks for your kind comments...I'm glad you enjoyed the photos...I have to admit I was quite thrilled myself, as I thought I might get one quick snapshot of the porcupine (I didn't know then that two would be coming!) before it ran away, so to be able to get so many shots was just such a bonus! And this is also the first time I have photographed Two-Notch Charlie, the genet cat, because I didn't want to start using my flash too early and scare him off...as it turned out, he didn't give a hoot about the flash!
Suzanne - Great to see you! I had been missing you...in fact, funnily enough, I was just thinking about you yesterday and was wondering where you were - I thought maybe you might be traveling or that with my long absences from my blog recently that I had "lost" you...but no, it was just technology playing up and causing problems (surprise, surprise)...so nice to see you back...How are things going with your books? I'd love to hear how they're doing...in fact, I shall pop over to your blog just now for a catch-up. Thanks so much for still being here! (By the way, it was me who deleted your test post above this one, in case you think your computer has been eating your posted messages!)
What excellent photos! You lucky lucky thing.
Ridiculously amazing. I love the genets, especially the amazing length of their tails. The porcupines are a rare treat - amazing pics!
Thanks Owlman, thanks Imogen...I was extremely lucky, as you say, and also quite delighted with how my photos turned out (even if I do say so myself!)
You are so, so, so lucky! I would love to have all those creatures in my house! Still, it was wonderful to see your pictures and read your great post. You live in an amazing place, I am so jealous! Jane
I have left you an ‘I Love Your Blog’ award on my blog as one of 7 blogs I have chosen as my favourites.
All I can say is WOW! Serioiusly, I'm simply amazed. ;-)
Fabulous post and photos! Loved it. The lizard is stunning. The porcupines... porcupines in Kenya, who knew! The genet? Never knew about them. What's the deal with the squirrel? Check out my squirrels on http://birdsongsquirreltales.blogspot.com Your squirrel's ears are so different. Is that typical? So glad I dropped by!
Well apparently they have posed for you. You must be very good with animals.
Thanks to you all for your great comments - it's such fun to see everyone here! Suzanne, you're lovely...thank you for the 'I Love Your Blog' Award...
Happy New Year all round (yes, it's taken me that long to catch up with your comments...apologies for that!)