Animal visitors

Today I spent a few hours in our backyard just enjoying being outside. Several animal visitors stopped by, and I managed to get a few photos. They’re not great pictures because I had to use my iPad, which I happened to have outside -- if I’d gone inside for my camera, everyone would have scattered. But I wanted to share them anyway because my animal friends always make me smile.

You have to look closely to see everyone in this photo (sort of like a game of I Spy). Right in front of the tree is a bunny. I think he might live between our garage and our neighbor’s; he’s been hanging around since he was little, and he often bravely ventures out while I’m sitting outside. And he holds his own against the chipmunks in the never-ending battle for the bird food (which is mostly eaten by not birds).

Speaking of the chipmunk, there is one in the photo to the right of the tree, stuffing seeds into his little cheeks at the food dish. They are the most determined little critters. And they make more noise than you would ever think would come out of that little body.

Near the top of the photo, at the left side of the tree, there is a bird sitting on the blue hanging dish. It's nice to actually see a bird at that dish; it seems like more often than not there is a chipmunk parked in there, too.

This giant, fuzzy bumblebee was buzzing around the hostas. It's hard to tell how big he is in this photo, but he was blurry in all the others because, well, he was as busy as a bee!

After I took the first shot, a goldfinch decided to stop at the finch feeder. The goldfinches don't come around too often, so it's fun to see their bright yellow feathers.

I think the only usual critter I didn't get a picture of was a squirrel. They usually chase the chipmunks away from the food, but they were scarce tonight.

Edited to add:
I took the following picture in early July, but I never posted it. I decided to add it to this post so you can get a better look at the chipmunk. (Or more accurately, one of the chipmunks, as there are often three or four chasing each other around the yard.)

Enjoying the backyard was a relaxing way to spend some time after work. I hope you have some time to relax, too. Thanks for stopping by!