This is a out-of-focus but recognizable Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis).
I took the picture yesterday; that’s an American Goldfinch in winter plumage next to the Nuthatch. Today I spotted the first returning (or passing through) Junco.
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It’s not technically the first snow of the season, but it’s the first I’ve seen happening. Rain turned to mixed snow-and-rain. 35F.
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I saw a red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) a few times during the winter in 2017, but it disappeared before spring. Recently a red squirrel has been gleaning on the ground near the bird feeders. The red squirrel is a reddish-orange with a white belly, smaller than the numerous (and greedy) Eastern grey squirrels. In late summer and early fall there’s a dark grey to black stripe between the red squirrel’s red-brown body fur and the white belly. That fades as winter nears, as does the bright orange-red body color of the squirrel.
This has the Eastern Gray squirrel on the left and the Red squirrel on the right. I didn’t realize the Gray squirrel was in the photo when I took the shot.
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I got a chance to visit Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, near Freeport today. I’m hoping to go there again some day. There are several trails, ranging from the “wheel chair accessible” White Pines Trail to the slightly rugged, winding Harraseeket trail, which runs partway along Harraseeket river, and partway along Casco Bay. Today was one of those Maine Autumn days that threaten to rain, but never quite deliver. I took a lot of photographs.
Sugar Maple eaves already showing mottled red and orange, striking against the bright green of other deciduous trees’ leaves.
Not sure what species of fungus this mushroom is, but there were many of them, large and small.
Lady Slipper with seed-pod.
Partridge Berry
Partridge Berry Mitchella repens L.
Partridge Berry is one of the plants I love. It’s really common in the Eastern U.S. and it’s a favorite food for grouse. It takes two flowers to produce a single berry.
Most of these saplings are less than twenty years old.
Glacial gift
The floor of this forest is rotted vegetation over soil. A foot or three (at most) of soil that’s covering bedrock, or what’s locally called ledge. It’s the same rock you see as outcroppings along the Maine and N.H. and Canadian coastline.
I don’t know what this is. It’s shrub; maybe an Elder species?
A spray of partially turned Sugar Maple leaves, mottled with bright orange.
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This is, I think, or more specifically, I’m pretty sure, is a male Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens). Harry Woodpeckers look quite a lot like Downy Woodpeckers; there are differences, but the primary one, is size. Harry Woodpeckers are noticeably larger, and thus, looking at this guy compared to the size of the suet cage, I’m leaning towards Downy Woodpecker.
It’s definitely a male; the male of both species has a red spot on the back of their heads. If I had a better photo, we might be able to see the beak; the Hairy Woodpecker has a noticeably longer beak.
Male Downy Woodpecker, photographed through the window, because the minute I step outside, he moves to the back side of the suet.
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