101
Time: 3 p.m.
Conditions: Sunny and 55 degrees
Observed From: the backyard
Notes: The word is out in the squirrel world that my yard is THE place to be. I am overrun with the beasts at the moment. So far none of them have figured out how to climb or jump onto my feeders.
The migrating birds are still here in large numbers. Sometimes there are as many as 100 at a time at or below the feeders, in the garden eating flower seeds, or taking a bath.
Today’s Count:
- 4 House Sparrows
- 25 Goldfinches
- 5 House Finches
- 12 White-Throated Sparrows
- 1 Fox Sparrow
- 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches
- 1 White-breasted Nuthatch
- 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
- 1 Cardinal
- 5 Mourning Doves
- 1 Crow
- 7 Gray Squirrels
- 1 neighbor lady raking and scaring away the birds
- It’s not a critter but I have to mention the surprise daylily scape that completely escaped my attention while it’s been growing. One of my ‘Red Volunteer’ daylilies has sent up a huge, thick stalk with at least 8 buds on it—one bud that’s already starting to show some color. We’re supposed to see lows of 32 degrees this week so I don’t know if I’ll get to see a bloom or not, but it’s quite a feat for a daylily in Wisconsin at the end of October.