the errands / October 22 & 23

I've been doing useful things, like running errands.  Tuesday I noticed a few birds, Wednesday I was out most of the day. 

Common birds: house sparrow, chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch

October 21 / the hide and seek

I have a 'maybe' bird today - it may have been a brown creeper.  It was in one of the spruce trees, up and down the trunk, but it was hidden enough that I can't confirm this, it could easily have been the woodpecker, which I know I also saw. 

Common birds: house sparrow, chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker (male), cardinal (pair), goldfinch

Fall visitors: golden-crowned kinglet

Overhead: gull

the treetop / October 20

A hawk was sitting on top of the big evergreen today.  I wanted to try to take a picture, but as I went outside, it flew off. 

Common birds: robin, starling, red-tailed hawk

October 19 / the preserving

I decided to make something from the green tomatoes, before they spoiled entirely.  I picked them over, and even then had 4 pounds of usable fruit.  I made chutney with them, which I will be sharing with some friends or family, there's quite a bit of it.  I also wrapped a few whole green tomatoes in newspaper again, hoping to ripen them faster than they spoil. 

Not very many birds around, perhaps sheltering from the rainy weather.  

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (male)

Fall visitors: golden-crowned kinglet

the rot / October 18

To my annoyance, many of the green tomatoes I brought in, worrying about the cold, are turning brown, and going moldy.  I don't know if leaving them on the vine would have been smarter, or bringing them in earlier.  I've had them wrapped in newspaper, which is supposed to help green tomatoes ripen, and I have successfully ripened some a little earlier in the season. 

I saw at least 8 hawks overhead today.  I'm assuming they were red-tailed, although they looked dark, that could have been the light conditions.  

Common birds: blue jay, house sparrow, chickadee

Overhead: red-tailed hawk

October 17 / the buns

I made some potato bread buns today.  I haven't tasted them, but they smelled great. 

Common birds: house sparrow, chickadee, starling, red-breasted nuthatch, blue jay, goldfinch, cardinal (pair)

Overhead: gull

the tapper / October 16

In addition to a significant number of sparrows, I saw a couple of other birds today, one of which came as quite a surprise - not because of what it was, but where it was.  I heard a tapping noise, and thought it was probably coming from the other person in the house, but when I followed the sound, I discovered that it was the downy woodpecker, hanging off the eaves.  It was pecking at the wood near one of the holes the bees made earlier in the summer, so perhaps there are insects in there. 

I heard some bird calls, but am not able to say for sure what they were, it sounded like chickadees, maybe a red-wing blackbird as well. 

Common birds: house sparrow, downy woodpecker, cardinal (female), starling

Fall visitors: ruby-crowned kinglet