Simple Pleasures, Continued

I rained hard all night with some dramatic thunder and lightning. I drove, very slowly, through pelting rain to my Pilates class this morning, having almost forgotten how to drive in the rain. It was still raining as I drove home, and he air was filled with blowing leaves. The last of the fall color was floating away down the gutters like so many colorful little boats.

The birds were not put off by the rain or the wind. I spent a pleasant hour watching them vie with each other for space at one of three feeders. The niger thistle is popular with the finches, while the jays, morning doves and woodpeckers prefer the larger seed mix. The quail (notably absent when the weather is wet) and a single grey squirrel forage about on the ground for whatever has fallen there.

The jays seem to be at the top of the pecking order, since all the other birds fly away, almost indistinguishable from the blowing leaves when they fly in. The other day I saw several crows sitting on the feeder, an unusual sight. They have big meetings in the treetops, but rarely show any interest in birdseed.

I took hundreds of photos, the majority of which were out of focus. I chose this shot, despite being a bit blurry because I liked the Japanese quality of the misty light and the dusky red plum leaves. I thought the little bird was a lesser goldfinch, but on closer inspection realize that I have no idea what he is. I can't find him in any of my bird books. Any ideas from you twitchers out there?