Autumn has arrived and with it, comes the scramble to eat as much and store as much as you can to survive the winter. Not so true for humans, but life-and-death for our little friends.
Our garden and plantings are providing abundant nourishment for a new crop of birds as well as the local squirrel population. We planted a lot of sunflowers this year and the seeds from these are more popular than I had even imagined they would be.
There are also berries from our viburnum, dogwood and other trees that are filling their bellies and providing us with plenty of entertainment.
A pair of cedar waxwings was seen eating berries off of the dogwood in the back yard. These birds usually come in flocks and take advantage of berries and other they appear to be a little timid and so I only had time to fire off a quick, grainy photo of this one on the lilacs, but at least you can recognize it.
There is a large flock of pine siskins that is hanging around our feeder right now. I estimate that I can see 40- 50 birds at a time when they are feeding. They fly back and forth between the feeder and the birdbath and scatter the moment one of us steps out the back door.
At last, the towhees are here. They have been noticeably scarce around these parts. At our old house, they were all over scratching up seeds and bugs, but here, they have been a lot more scarce. Juncos seem to flock with these guys and we are starting to see a few more of those now also.
I love being able to take a moment now and then from my job and notice how this place is alive. We can see how it changes with the seasons and how it plays such an important role in the lives of these small creatures.
