Brave Little Lizard

A few weeks ago, I photographed this lizard on the wall, just outside out breakfast area to the West of
our kitchen.  It was mid day, and this lizard was busy doing "push ups" on the top of the wall, the same way the whiptail striped lizards would in Phoenix.  But the wall is just above and next to 2 large hummingbird feeders, and there was a buzz of activity all around the feeders, with adolescent black chinned males, fully grown Anna's males, and fully grown Rufous male hummingbirds vying, parrying, dog-fighting for who would dominate the delicious feeders - so much testosterone, in such tiny little birds!   The lizard was "not impressed" by these darting and speeding avian creatures, and actually, at one point, put his head over the edge, at WATCHED one of the hummingbirds, CLOSELY, as if to say...  "come closer punk, and I'll bite you, latch on, and have hummingbird for dinner".  Now, I have seen grotesque youtube videos of fully grown preying mantis devouring hummingbirds (no, I won't provide a link, it's too gross), but I'd never seen a small 5 inch long lizard attempt to eat a hummingbird, or even try to menace one...  until August of this year.

The adolescent hummingbird was keenly aware of the wall mounted lizard who was observing him, and he hovered, and chitted, and tried (ineffectively) to scare off the lizard from his vantage point about 12 inches above one of the feeders.  Eventually, after a few minutes, the lizard gave up and went about its way looking for easier & slower prey, but it was fun to watch while it lasted.