Neighborhood Nature Study

This bird feeder is on the back deck of our neighbors' house, two doors down. At certain times of the day, it's heavily used by squirrels and several species of birds, and raccoons have been seen at the feeder as well, very early in the morning.

I find the antics there endlessly fascinating, and prefer not to disclose how much I time I spent this morning taking photos of those antics from our deck and through the window in our upstairs office! This trio of Steller's jays had the feeder swinging, and I loved the contrast of their rich blue feathers against the autumn foliage. And the squirrel breakfasting above, while a black-capped chickadee and a Steller's jay politely wait their turn, is a dainty eater compared to this one!

In addition to the usual cast of characters, a doe and fawn were wandering around the neighborhood today as well. (We have a greenbelt behind our house and undeveloped land above our neighborhood, as well as Lake Padden Park nearby, all of which provide cover and food for deer.) The fawn seemed interested in our neighbors' St. Francis statue, while her mother leaned more toward E's big red truck.

It was a remarkable coincidence to see some of the animals in yesterday's mural in three dimensions today!