Oh well. At least it's something to count.

I would love to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count next week (Feb 18-21.) Really, I would. When there are birds at our feeder, we love watching them. We have bird guides and binoculars right on the window sill at all times. Unfortunately, there hasn't been too much to look at lately, let alone count.

They all come back occasionally, all on the same day. And then they're gone again. Now what does that sound like to you? I'll tell you what it sounds like. Like someone else in the neighborhood is feeding our birds! Caviar, no doubt, or whatever it is that they like better than sunflower seeds. Or maybe their feeder isn't six inches from their kitchen window.

Anyway, we were so wishing for little creatures to look at that we let this guy feast for awhile yesterday:

We have named him bat squirrel, for obvious reasons. Either he is an unusual species with a strong, prehensile tail or he was literally hanging by his toenails. Either way, we felt he had worked hard enough to deserve a little snack. It's not like the birds will miss it.