We all have this deep-rooted fascination with the wild. It’s as simple as feeding squirrels and pigeons on a park bench for some people.
- Nick Jans

Maybe it is pushing it to call a squirrel “wildlife”, but technically, they are. This house is about eight years old and we saw the first squirrel in our backyard three years ago. This is the first year we are seeing them regularly. As far as I can tell, there are two grey and one black that come. Obviously, they are not bothered too much by the rain :)

Squirrel tongue! hehehhe :)
I had been leaving those peanuts out for them, but I’ve stopped now, because twice they’ve dug up my bed of tiny carrot sprouts to bury the peanuts, only to dig them up again hours later. No more peanuts in the shell for them! There are still lots of shelled peanuts, though.

Also not bothered by the rain are the Red Winged Blackbirds. They are regular and noisy visitors to our feeder. In fact, they are quite sure that when we are in the yard we are trespassing on their property and they sit on the fence and click and buzz at us.

I’ve been keeping a list of the kinds of birds we’re getting at our feeders. When you write it down it is surprising how many different kinds there are. I’ve made it a personal challenge to learn to tell apart the different types of sparrows, and to identify the females as well as the males.

Also surprising is how much time my 18month-old will sit quietly at the window watching the birds. He is facinated by them and reminds me to fill the feeder every day when we go out.

I apologise for the silence here recently. We’ve had a few rough weeks with the sudden illness and death of Artemis, our standard poodle.

This is the book I’ve used for years and years to identify birds:National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds–E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition

If you live in Western North America use this version:National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region

All entries in the Nature Journal series from Suburban Green is People.

Nature Deficit Disorder: How this series began.