AS I grew up in Bermuda, lizards are not strange to me but they were so much a part of my Bermuda life that I didn't give them any special attention other than to rescue the ones trapped on the wrong side of my bedroom window.

Mind you, in those days I didn't notice much beyond the beach, the tennis club, and later, the Royal and US Navy's latest bunch of ensigns or sub-lieutenants (who also may have had to be rescued from the wrong side of my bedroom window: memory fails me); that latter observation will give away my age and might go some way to explaining my fascination with these little Bermuda charmers.

The US Navy has long gone and I am now left with lots of time to get to know, photograph and enjoy Bermuda's enchanting lizards.

My attraction to Graham started a year or so ago when, with my new camera, I began photographing my mother's garden. The lizard's ability to change colour in such a spectacular manner caught my eye and it was through the lens that I first met my special friend.

When I transferred the photos onto my computer, I noticed that he had a kink about half an inch from the end of his tail, this was the identifying feature that became proof positive that it was the same chap every time.

To begin with, he didn't like the camera which has a rather illogical flash mechanism and I had to be satisfied with shots of his disappearing tail. I spend six weeks off the island and about six weeks on and over the next few visits I noticed that Graham was less and less nervous of me and my camera.

I felt as if he was starting to recognise me and accept me as part of his world. The last two years of coming and going has provided me with a marvellous pictorial catalogue of his posing ability and his many outfits. It has got to the point where I look out for him every time I go outside and if I don't find him, within his clearly defined and protected territory, he will find me.

I was showing him off to my sister-in-law Diana the other day and he started behaving very strangely. His head and shoulders became twice their normal size and he started making very quick sprints and then stopping to do push-ups and to display his bright orange throat flap. I had never seen him behaving like this.

I then spotted the object of his aggressive behaviour which was another adult lizard approaching from the other end of the wall. Eventually, after much showing off, my hero launched at the invader and grabbed him by the head, squeaking quite loudly.

The hapless victim tried to scrabble and twist himself out of Graham's grip and eventually, after a protracted wrestling match, he was thrown unceremoniously into the hibiscus hedge. This same ritual went on repeatedly for about an hour with the enemy returning time and again. We were standing very close and both lizards were impervious to us, so much so that at one point I pushed Graham off the other with my finger, a bit concerned that it was a battle to the death. Diana commented that she thought Graham was in love with me and was seeing off the competition!

I found myself strangely warmed by this idea but, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't quite picture him lying lovingly on my pillow or nibbling affectionately at my ear. Ah well, the dog will have to do.

Just as I was beginning to think that we were an item, I noticed that he was dating another, that 'Little' had arrived on the scene and was being totally accepted by my man. I can only think she is female otherwise why would he be lying on top of her for long periods of time in a very compromising position?

Unless, of course, his love button is a little left of centre and who am I to cast aspersions, having fallen for him myself? She is much smaller and more inquisitive than Graham (now nicknamed "Big"), to the point of almost taking crumbs out of my hand, I believe she will eventually. (The crumbs are a recent addition and NOT the reason for Big's affection!)

It is great fun watching the pair of them with their different personalities. He will stand and stare at the crumbs left under his nose and she will nip in and take them before he has hoisted in that food is in the offing; mind on other things perhaps.

The other night I was out stargazing and checked to see if Big was at his usual station on top of the outside light, having his snack before bed and was puzzled by his absence. I have developed a protective instinct about him and wondered if something awful had happened and that maybe he had been a Kiskadee's evening meal.

I wandered up the length of the house to check the other outside lights and on my way noticed something on the shutter. It was a dark shadow on a white background and I rushed inside to collect my camera and in the light of the flash I realised it was indeed Big. He opened an eye and stared at me, the camera, now within inches of him and despite the flashing light, he didn't move a muscle and in fact went back to sleep again.

The books say they don't make good pets, basically because they are very stupid but I have to disagree. Every morning that it isn't blowing a gale or raining, Big and now Little come running to see me and we have a companionable ten minutes or so before I go in for breakfast and again at intervals throughout the day.

I have nearly tripped over him on a couple of occasions as he has made a dash for the wall where I always lean. He lies with head resting about two inches from my hand and when I move he turns to watch me. It feels to me as if he is just as fascinated by me as I am of him.

As a result of the delightfully personal relationship I have with Big, I have learned a few interesting facts about lizards in Bermuda. There are three species living here and they all have their own territories. Big is the most common and widespread and his official name is Anolis Grahami, from Jamaica originally but brought into Bermuda in 1905 in an attempt to control fruit fly.

Anolis Leachi, native of Antigua and Barbuda, can be found on the north shore of Warwick, western Paget and from Gibb's Hill to Spittal Pond and will always take the best locations from my friend Grahami. The only place they won't be found is northeast of the lagoon on Ireland Island where Anolis Roquet lives.

These were thought to be brought in on naval vessels from Barbados in the 1940s. Their only habitat is Ireland Island, Boaz Island and wooded areas of Somerset. The Bermuda Zoological Society is surprisingly precise about location although the last survey seems to have been in 1963.

On the strength of this information, I went on a hunt for the other two types of lizard. I was with a friend and our chatting took over from the main purpose but, rather carelessly one or the other of us would say, Ooh look there's one', I would snap a picture and then move on.

We went to the railway trail in Warwick and then to the lagoon at Ireland Island. The photographs were taken blind as it were because of the speed of their escape and my failing eye sight so it wasn't until I got my camera hooked up to my computer and saw the pictures that I realised we had caught images of the other two types.

There was Anoli Roquet with his pretty blue stripe and Anoli Leachi with his wonderful yellow-ringed eyes and his smart green and brown spotted colouring. It seemed like magic that the blur of lizard, completely unrecognisable to the naked eye should have turned out to be exactly what we were looking for; a great tribute to the Bermuda Zoological Society for its patient, island-wide explorations that still hold true 40 years on.

I am heading off the island this week for my sojourn in Ireland and my mother has strict instructions to keep an eye out for Mr. Leachi and give him what for if he dares to fancy Morgan Hill, Sandys as a desirable residence.