Birds and ...

The dents in the kayaks swelled out on their own after a day in the warm sun. I was very pleased with my strategy of going slow with any forceful manipulation.

Spook seems to be charged up with the fall weather. He actually made a sprint into the kitchen for his breakfast, something that surprised us with his diabetic hind legs. Yesterday he scouted out the neighbor's bushes and found himself a new hiding place in the lilacs and now this morning is sparring with his tail.

We took a break from chores and relaxed on the patio, observing yard nature. The apples are turning red this year - don't know if its was a longer season or cooler summer. Saw a Red-Breasted Nuthatch for the first time, fluttering in the apple tree and marked it in our Audubon Western Birds handbook. Another specie we have not been able to positively identify is a finch or sparrow feeding off the Niger seed sack. We see a slight yellow at the base of the tail. They don't share well with each other. There's a lot of wing spreading and peeping between rivals. Any expert identification would be appreciated. They are difficult to photograph because they usually point their butts at you.

Mama squirrel has babies somewhere and is voraciously eating seed and peanuts and gnawing on the deer horns. If she runs out of food she will bump Dix's foot for more. She is so unafraid of our presence, she pooped right in front of us on the tree bough.