October 17, 2008
A stick bug was spotted late one night recently. Confirmed to be a Northern Walking Stick, it was stuck to the garage door during a rain storm so I snapped a bunch of pictures and put a few on the website for anyone who likes to look that kind of thing. Tis the time of year when... leaves are flying all around. Many more are lying on the ground. Leaves, still on their branches, dance as the tree sings. Today, I am thankful for wind and the chance to notice these things.Backyard tip of the week:
Take a moment this weekend to notice a few of the cool fall things in your area. Perhaps a car ride down a country road to see the many wonderful fall colors. Maybe go pumpkin picking at a local farm with your friends or family. Maybe go for a walk in the woods as a nice way to get back to nature. You're sure to love it!
Backyard sightings for last week:
Including northern cardinals, rose-breasted grosbeaks, mourning doves and catbirds. Chipping sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, Carolina wrens, house wrens, eastern goldfinches, house finches. Red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, the tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, blue-jays, American crows, a red squirrel and some grey squirrels, a couple of different skunks, a few deer, some chipmunks, some bunnies, some butterflies and bats, too. And, how cool is this? The frog was seen back in the pond this week after being away for most of the summer.
Cool sighting of the week:
A flock of geese has been seen and heard passing high above the backyard each evening for the past few weeks now. They travel over the mountain in a southwest direction, perhaps heading for a common night time resting place. Their calls and honking bring with them the promise of cooler days and nights as the fall passes by. Also seen this week, as briefly mentioned, a bull frog has returned to the pond. I don't know where he goes to when he's not there, but I haven't seen him in the pond since July. I often wonder if the larger birds are using the frogs as a source of food which might explain their sporadic appearances in the backyard. Either way, finding that the bull frog had returned to the pond this week was very cool!
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