Aux Birds

This

Went out yesterday to take a picture of the seven-point buck Alan got opening day....which by the way will be processed here this evening, a job which I dread, but which must be done.

Plus this
equals a big deer in anybody's woods

I got carried away. The deer was in the shed. Not on the top of the heifer pasture hill. Not in the heifer pasture woods.

Not in the lane. Not down by the creek.

Nope, but I still went to all those places and the birds went with me. Song Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos down by the buildings. Pileated Woodpeckers right behind the hop house.... Of all things a low-flying plane spooked one out over me at the top of the hill.....how odd to look up to see the chicken-like bird flying right below the plane.

There were Robins in the woods. A flock of Cardinals. Tufted Titmice galore. We have never had so many before this year. Chickadees. Gold Finches, White-thoated Sparrows tentatively whistling "Old Sam Peabody...." A Red-Tailed Hawk that kept just out of good camera range, but didn't deign to actually fly away. Always the Carolina Wrens.

 Crows and a flock of Canada Geese that flew right over me. I was so glad I didn't take a step forward in their wake. The oak leaves at my feet rattled as if there was hail. But it wasn't hail. At least they missed.

Red-bellied Woodpecker. Some Downies. Blue Jays. A Corvid-like something or other I could not identify, though it called and called and called. Not a Fish Crow. Not a Raven. Not any jay that I know. I wonder what it was.

There were Grey Squirrels, every single one masquerading as a nineteen-point, nine-hundred-pound, White-tailed buck. Squirrels are stinkers.

Can you imagine how they must sit in their dreys and snicker at the end of each cold November day? "Hah, I had a guy practically falling out of his tree stand over me today. I just hop-hop-hopped slowly through the leaves right under him. He was so excited he nearly choked himself with his gun sling trying to bring it around to shoot. Then I spoiled his day by chattering at him and warning every deer for miles. I almost fell out of the tree laughing."

Yeah, the squirrels all do it and even when you KNOW it is a squirrel, and you SEE that is a squirrel, it still sounds more like a deer than a deer does.

Anyhow, it was quite a walk, all unintended. And if I forgotten any of you friendly local winter birds I apologize....next time I need to take a pen and paper for my list.