In the afternoon, the sky cleared a little, and I took advantage of the break in the clouds to do a little birding before sunset. I knew there would probably be a variety of birds along the trail near the fence post, so that’s where I headed.
To my surprise, a bluejay joined the others in their game of “grab and go.” It was fun to get his picture because the jays usually keep their distance. Instead of joining the other birds in the fun, they linger in the branches of nearby trees, occasionally squawking and swooping from branch to branch; however, one of them was curious tonight, and I was able to get several good shots of him in action:
A song sparrow also joined in the fun.
Then, as I was squinting through the lens, waiting to see who would appear next, I got a surprise. Instead of a bird, here is what I saw on the top of the post:
Dusk was falling, and it was a few seconds before I realized the chipmunk had scurried up the fence post to get his share of the peanuts, but when I did, I got a good chuckle at how quick and clever he was. Light was fading by that time, so I decided it was time to head for home. And that was the end of this trail walk, but it was fun while it lasted!
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 
Delightful!
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I’m glad you liked this surprise birding experience!
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Glad you had a beautiful day. Sure love seeing the chipmunks and your birds are so pretty!!
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Thanks, Camille. That little chippy made me smile.
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Lovely pictures!
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Thank you for visiting and commenting. I hope you’ll come back again.
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How wonderful.. Love your photos. the birds and chipmunks are sweet 🙂
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Thank you for taking time to leave your kind comments. I really enjoy the birds and the chipmunk was a huge surprise.
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These are wonderful captures! That chipmunk is adorable!
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That little chippy made me smile. Squinting through the lens I didn’t realize at first that the bird that had just been on the stump had “become” a chipmunk. Quite a surprise!
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Wonderful, wonderful! I love those little chippers. They keep to themselves, and they never try to come into the house. Sometimes our cat will bring one in, but that is a different matter.
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I think they are adorable; although a chipmunk did destroy the AC unit at our daughter’s house a few years ago, putting it totally out of commission for the summer. I don’t dare say chipmunk and adorable in the same sentence to her or her husband.
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Terrific shots!
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Thank you, Belinda. I enjoy birdwatching with my camera, although I’m far from an expert birder.
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Omg, the bluejay and the chipmunk, sooo cute! I love it!
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Thank you, Carina. I thought they both added an element of surprise to the photoshoot.
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Great captures, Carolyn. I had to look up that first sparrow – my guess is a Field Sparrow. I realized that blue jays have been largely absent from my feeders this winter. Hmmm. I heard my first song sparrow yesterday. So happy to have the migrants returning.
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I wasn’t sure of the first sparrow, so I didn’t ID it. The blue jay, song sparrow, and chipmunk were no problem.
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