Changing seasons

The nights are getting cooler and longer and the hummingbirds are exiting for southerly climes. For two days in a row I saw no hummers at the feeder. Then, yesterday, a single one showed up. I did not get a picture, but here are a couple of shots of an adult female back on September 12,  just before nearly all the adults departed and left the youngsters a bit more time to fatten up before they also headed south:

Yesterday morning I looked out the side door window and saw that the small birds had suddenly disappeared from the feeder area. I found out why-- an immature Red-shouldered Hawk was roosting on the back fence. I shot through a back window:

The hawk flew off and the birds immediately returned to feed. First in was this White-breasted Nuthatch, waiting on a rock. It flew up and seemed reluctant before dropping down:

A female American Goldfinch perched on a stalk and then was joined by a youngster asking to be fed:

I cleaned out the bluebird nest. Opinions and research findings are mixed as to whether to remove or  leave the nest in place and let them build a new one on top. I fear that if the nest builds up nearer to the nest hole, it will possibly expose the eggs and nestlings to predators. Interestingly, the nest was almost entirely constructed with needles of native White Pine:

Eastern Bluebirds are now flocking. Some will stay all winter and visit the suet feeder. This one posed out in the sun on the fence rail. The camera increased the exposure because of the dark background, but I forgot to reduce compensation:

The White-tailed Deer have all taken on their dark winter coats. Since the inside of their ears are white, they stand out  from the shadowed understory:

Wild "Scratchdaisies" are in widespread bloom. The iPhone identified them from my photo as Croptilon sp but I could not find a match that has tiny white daisy-like flowers: 

 species

The homes next to us are on large wooded lots and some are not even visible from the street. On our morning walk along the lake we have met many more accessible neighbors. One lakefront resident let me take a photo of the 1930 Ford Model A which he restored. The license plate reflects the order of its manufacture:

The surface of Diamond Lake was stirred by the breeze:

Turtles rested on a log that also created a windbreak which showed their reflections on the lee side:

Some of the trees along the back yard clear-cut acreage are beginning to show fall color:

This is the view to the west from the entry of our "Casita:"

Fog can either enhance or destroy a photo. It did a little bit of both one morning this week as it crept up from the valleys:

Sunset on September 20:

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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