Good morning everyone on this very beautiful autumn morning! The sky is mostly clear although the sun is not yet shining, but it should be soon. The small birds are busy outside chattering and looking for their breakfast. That part is easy around here, there are seeds everywhere on this deck and the feeders. The blue jays are very busy, as usual, going after their breakfast of sunflower seeds and taking as many peanuts as they can to hide them for later use. Blue jays have been studied quite a bit it seems and they have discovered that blue jays can locate the food they have hidden more than a year later. Even in areas where there is really no physical markers to help them remember, such as a large yard or field. Chickadees are also like that, and many other birds. Chickadees will hide food, such as bugs, during late summer and fall, which they will then use as a food source in the winter to supplement what they can find naturally. It helps to ensure survival during what can be a very harsh environment during our long cold winters.

The chickadees are here this morning too, enjoying their breakfast of sunflower seeds. There are two things that most birds who come to feeders will eat, sunflower seeds and peanuts. Nothing else is really needed. Both provide wonderful nutrition and energy for the birds anytime and are about the most perfect of foods for them in the winter. Jasper hasn’t been here yet, he comes later in the morning now. No chipmunks either, they too don’t come until later. Everything starts changing by late September or early October. The days are shorter, it’s noticeably cooler, so animals change their behavior. The small birds are around the longest during the days, especially as temps really start to drop by the end of this month. They need as much food as possible to carry them through those long cold nights. I managed to remember to bring my bird feeders in early last night, no more going out after dark for me. Unless I forget to bring the feeders in earlier, then I have no choice.

As soon as it was dark last night I heard some loud noise on the deck. Muffin jumped up to look out the window. She crouched. Her fur fluffed out. I had to look. Sure enough, a bear was on the deck. Hmm, I’m glad I remembered to bring those feeders inside. This was a different bear than the last 2. How do I know? He had a small white patch on it’s head. I went for my camera, even though pics through the window are never that good, but I figured I would try anyway. But by the time I got ready, which didn’t take long, he was already climbing over the railing and down the other side to the ground. So I missed. I waited too long. So that makes 3 bears in less than a week and a half.

Well, we have some more fall color for the featured image. No, the picture isn’t crooked, the benches and tables are on the side of a hill. I’m not sure how they expect people to sit on that one bench without sliding off however. And in the pic above is a purple petunia from my little deck container garden, which is all gone now. Summer flowers are finished for another year. The sun is shining beautifully on those golden leaves, a beautiful fall morning indeed. Happy Friday everyone and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2020 Steve McLeod.