Black(ish) Squirrel

I chose this photo as my blip today for two reasons.  First, I was thrilled to see that I can use a higher ISO with my new camera than I was able to previously.  With my old camera, 1600 was the limit if I wanted to avoid distracting noise.  This shot was ISO 2500, a big improvement.

Second, I have been trying to get a photo of a black squirrel for months.  We have them around, although they are not nearly as common as the gray squirrels.  This one is a brown black combo.  I did a little research and apparently two melanism genes will cause the squirrel to be jet-black and one of these genes will result in a pretty brown-black.  Who knew.

I have also added a Dark-eyed Junco shot.  The squirrels and birds both like to sit on this small stone ledge beside the patio.