Day 358 - Frigid foraging

These little guys had their feathers all puffed up against the cold as they searched for some leftover munchies among the leaves.

Day 346 - Chubby critter

Been awhile since I've photographed our resident rodents, and boy, have these guys put on the pounds!! Well... ounces, anyway. Lookit the bulk on that beast! Clearly they've been feasting well.

Day 322 - Backyard beasties

For this week's animal, vegetable, or mineral theme, our resident critters were very accomodating.

In addition to the normal squirrel and blue jay activity, a couple of occasional visitors showed up...

the little guy on the left is a downy woodpecker,

and this red-headed beauty is... are you ready??... a red-BELLIED woodpecker. Go figure, huh?

Lew captured some great bird shots on Lew's Pics.

Day 314 - Fall perspective

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
~ Albert Camus ~

Day 312 - Cycle of color

As it progresses from gold to blushing orange to a leathery russet brown, our maple delights us with its array of color.

Day 311 - Sneaky little bugger

Our resident squirrel was up to its antics again today. Apparently, it had hidden an acorn in my flowers and got hungry ...

so dug it out and proceeded to sit a spell for a munch or two.

Then it unceremoniously went on its merry way, leaving a mess of soil and shells behind.

Day 307 - Munching

The squirrel was busy munching on a found acorn...

while Zoey watched and wished she could do a little munching herself.

Day 300 - Majestic maple

Our maple is finally glowing in all its autumn majesty. If the weather stays clear and relatively calm, in another few days it will canopy the front yard in a beautiful golden shade.

Lew's Pics has another lovely view.

Day 299 - You talkin' to me?

Though much needed, this gray and rainy day wasn't the best for outdoor autumn photos. I was trying for the rabbit that at one point scampered onto the patio and yep, stopped to look at me through the patio door. Of course, I couldn't get the camera on quick enough before it hopped on its merry way leaving me to once again settle for yet another squirrel shot. *sigh*

Day 297 - Leaves

Seeing as I didn't venture far from the house today, these leaves on the deck were as autumnal as I got. :)

Day 294 - Autumn leaves

Whew! Glad Karin chose Autumn for this week's theme because as much as we've waited for fall to finally explode with color in our parts, it just hasn't cooperated. Last week was probably the best for color as the winds are leaving the trees barer this week.

However, our sugar maple, though not the gorgeous golden color it usually is, is still holding on to most of its leaves. Karin, this one's for you! :)

Day 293 - In the shadows

Apparently the critters are enjoying the dogwood berries. The big tree is almost berry-less and the smaller one looks to be following suit but I found some hiding for today's photo.

It's a blessing... at least they're not eating mulberries and pooping purple all over the place! ;)

Day 284 - Bits of fall color

Little by little the colors of fall are starting to appear. This branch on our backyard oak shows off a pretty array of green, yellow, brown, and rusty orange.

Day 279 - Evening light

Couldn't resist yet another shot of the bench and flowers in the evening glow of sunlight and shadow... it's just so peaceful.

Day 275 - Pots of pretty

When we finished decorating the front porch, we thought a little fall color on the patio would look nice.

After taking a picture of the dogwood branch yesterday, the bright yellow of this leaf lying in the grass caught my eye as I walked back to the house.

Day 274 - Red Leaves

"Everyone must take time to sit
and watch the leaves turn..."
~ Elizabeth Lawrence ~

Our pink dogwood presents a pretty fall display of red berries and leaves.

Day 266 - In the catbird seat...

... the bird, that is. The hummer definitely has the upper hand here with a sturdy glass door between it eating or the cat eating it!

Day 260 - Wildlife refuge

Our resident back-yard rodents have been frolicking and chasing one another (and the birds) pretty much all day. At one point, one of the local stray cats slinked (slunk?) ... whatever... snuck over to see what was going on. Too late! The squirrel saw it and scurried up the post to safety while the cat waited and watched from under the Japanese maple below. No dummy he, the squirrel just outwaited it until the cat finally ran off to chase something else.

P.S.
Often Lew and I end up with the same subject matter for our photo of the day. Today, it was a mommy deer and her two little ones but his photos turned out much better than mine. Do check out Lew's Pics for a darling look-see.

Day 258 - Humming along

I haven't been terribly creative this week so it's a good thing I have cats and visits from my trusty little hummer to fall back on.

The little guy (gal?) showed up 4 times within an hour today! I think it may be getting ready for its flight south.

Day 252 - Sunny Acorns

Oak trees come out of acorns, no matter how unlikely that seems.
An acorn is just a tree's way back into the ground.
For another try. Another trip through. One life for another.
Shirley Ann Grau