Wildlife
Obviously I wouldn't be treated to the myriad of plants and animals I enjoyed at my woodland property, but given that the park was established in the 1960s, it has a fairly generous assortment of mature trees, and thus a modest population of birds and a few small mammals. I've been cataloging the scant wildlife I see here, if only for something to do.
Mammals
- Eastern Chipmunk (below left)
- Gray Squirrel (below right)
- Red Fox (bottom)
Birds
- American Crow
- American Goldfinch
- American Robin
- Blue Jay
- Common Grackle
- Eastern Bluebird
- Field Sparrow
- Hairy Woodpecker
- House Finch
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Mockingbird
- Pine Warbler
- Red-Bellied Woodpecker
- Sharp-Shinned Hawk
- Slate-Colored Junco
- White-Breasted Nuthatch
Above is a female red-bellied woodpecker going to town on a neighbor's faux window shutter. Quite likely the shutter is rotting out, and she's found bugs living there. Below left is of course a robin; below right is a field sparrow munching on dandelion seeds.
Below left is a stunning cardinal, and below right, his mate. Below them, a crow, and a swarm of grackles.
Below left is a goldfinch; to his right, a junco. Next up, a hairy woodpecker, and beside her, a mockingbird.
Below left and right, female and male house finches; bottom, a big ol' jay in his winter (grey) coat.
And here is what I believe to be a sharp-shinned hawk, seen here after having just captured a meal.
