Autumn Days...

Chickadee at my bird feeder
I was just remarking the other day that I hadn't seen any Juncos or White Throated Sparrows yet. We always get them at the bird feeders in the fall, working their way from further north. I always enjoy the Juncos, with their bellies dipped in white paint, and the white throated sparrow, with his 'Here Tom Peep-i-tee Peep-i-tee Peep-i-tee' call. At least that is what my family has always called them. I love to see and hear them rustling their way through fallen leaves and under brush, with their hop-jumping backwards to unearth tasty finds.
So when I walked out on my deck this morning as the sun was coming up, guess what I heard? You got it - the clear notes of the White Throated Sparrow singing his Tom song. I'm sure it won't be long now before the Juncos arrive too. Some of the many sounds of fall, along with the call of the Canadian Geese as they fly overhead, looking for local ponds to stop over at.

I love the smell of fallen leaves, the cool crispness of the air this time of year. We worked on gathering up fallen leaves on Saturday, loading the back of the truck freely with leaves, forgoing the bags this year. We pack them in under the tonneau cover, then deliver
them to our local landfill. We noticed a bumper crop of acorns this year. It could be because of the noticeable growth in our oak tree out front. In the last 3 years, there has been quite an expansion of the trunk and height of the tree. Either we've had good growing years, or it's really benefited from the runoff of fertilizer from my flowers nearby. We are bombed daily by the acorns as we come and go up the driveway to get the mail - I briefly thought of getting my hubby's hard hat to wear! Lol
Even worse is the boink I hear as the acorns bounce off the neighbors cars parked in their yard. They too have an oak tree that must have a bumper crop, as I don't think I noticed it nearly as much last year. Hmmmm... do you think that spells another long and snowy winter?