Hello everyone on this beautiful autumn day!  The sun is shining so nicely.  It is warm, well, for us it is anyway.  The temp is already a nice 79F (26C) out there this afternoon.🌞  The birds and chipmunks were here early this morning for their breakfast.  It was nice to go outside without needing a jacket.😃  So I stayed out there for a while talking to the chipmunks.  They all heard when I dropped the peanuts on the deck.  All these little heads pop up over the edge of the deck.😄🐿🐿🐿🐿  Rusty and Skamper are still fighting for top chipmunk spot. While they chase each other, Checker and Chester get their peanuts.😂😹🐿🐿

I thought that today we would wait and have our coffee in the afternoon so it would be a bit warmer.  And today we will head back to Norman Park for our coffee chat.☕🌳🌲  We were here back in the spring, but things look a little different now that autumn is here.  Although down here by the lake the leaves are not changing color quite as fast as elsewhere around town.

We have a couple picnic tables here under this little shelter and more close by under the pine trees.  And if you bring any kids along, there is a nice little area for them to play, plus a nice grassy area to run around.This is also a great park for bird life in spring and summer.  Even in the fall many species can be found here as they migrate south to warmer places for the winter. 

It’s a great spot for smaller ground loving birds to stop for a day or two and pick up some food to give extra energy for their journey.  See over there?  In the brown grass.  It’s a beautiful little junco.  Okay, they are maybe not a colorful bird, but they are cute and very friendly. Oh, and look there.  Not far from the junco.  It’s a clay colored sparrow.  We usually only see them during spring migration and occasionally in the autumn.  So it really is a treat to see one.

And then we have the clay colored sparrow.

Even though this is a popular park all summer, it is still possible to find wildflowers.  Like the yellow avens over there.  A very pretty little flower.  And obviously liked by that small bee as well.

And with all the pine trees it just makes sense that there would also be red squirrels around too.  And sure enough.  There are 3 of them here today.  All of them busy gathering the pine cones that they had previously cut down.  They don’t often leave any behind.  They store them around in different safe locations where they will find them to eat throughout the winter.

Well look at that.  Right over here by that picnic table.  One of my favorite little flowers, a maiden pink.  Normally they grow in bunches of many flowers.  This one is all alone, but it is a bit late for them anyway, guess that’s why.  Sometimes wildflowers just don’t want to give up.

I suppose it’s time to say good bye once again.  It was just such a beautiful time here by the lake today.

  I knew this would be a good park for a warm autumn day.  I hope you also enjoyed it here as well.  Until next time, enjoy your day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

© 2019 Steve McLeod.