As is always the case once winter approaches, red squirrels become more visible. This one was sitting in a walnut tree gnawing away at a nut...you can see the pile of debris on the branch from its efforts!

Speaking of mammals, I checked one of the nest boxes in which mice had built a nest entirely of dog-strangling vine early in the spring. It is now a big nest and when I opened the front, FIVE little guys clung to the inside top of the box, all in a row. Talk about cute!!! Too dark for a photo, and besides I was worried about disturbing them, so I left them alone.