Madrean Alligator Lizard

(back blip #1 of 3)

Nothing to do an a nice Saturday so I took a ride to Madera Canyon. There wasn't much bird activity mid-afternoon except for a few birds I get in my backyard. Not really interested in going up there for them. Someone spotted this lizard. They thought it was a small snake because they didn't see its pudgy little legs. In fact, that's what I thought at first, too. It was a pretty decent size, about 6 inches.

I had a nice chat with a young man from Ohio who was just getting into nature/bird photography. I helped him identify a few things he already had on his camera. I suddenly needed to get home (will spare details) so that was it for me.