Bits and Pieces

I took a little walk with the dogs today and turned up a few photo ops.

 For a change, a Cedar Wax Wing showed up rather than all the Bohemian Wax Wings

 As we were leaving, this fellow showed up. She could sure toss back the sunflower seeds

 She was very tame and enjoyed the lunch.

 On the way to the dog park via the bush trail, I came across three Mule Deer and a buck. I couldn't get a shot of the buck, but caught a few of the does.

 If you look closely, you can see the body and ears on this one. Not ideal hunting terrain!

 This doe gave me the old over-the-shoulder eyeball glare.

There were about 10 other dogs at the park. We had a good visit and wore the dogs out completely

Waxwings, Finches and Magpies

This was the first day without rain in the last four. I sat outside on the deck, with camera and book and kept an eye on the choke cherry tree. It was a busy place. The three days at near freezing must have ripened up the cherries.

 There were quite a few Cedar Waxwings feeding away.

 Some were just content to sit and rest.

 The Magpie kept an eye on "his" tree, and let his displeasure of sharing known!

 Best of all was the House Finch. This looks like the young of the year. he was fairly tame.

 I would also call him a right proper pig when it comes to downing sunflowers!

 He also has quite the feather pattern!

All in all, a pretty scruffy looking character!

Pond Life Shifting

The geese are starting to move into the pond. The water is getting to be cold, as noted by Brooklyn who was quite glad to get out after harassing the geese.

 They all seem to be stretching their wings getting ready for the long flight south.

The Blue Winged Teal are still hanging around

More stretching!

 They are still paired up. Canada geese mate for life and it shows in how they hang out.

I know, this is not a pond critter, but rather a Cedar waxwing in the front tree.

We have had about 6 inches of snow which fortunately all melted and several nights of hard frost. It appears fall is in the air!