Wildlife report

My bluebirds have returned, and I've started putting mealy worms out again.  The birds are voracious, and empty the small feeder twice a day.  Many of the families of various birds have fledged, and the babies are out and fumbling around.  The bluebirds have three babies - almost as big as the parents.  They come and sit around the feeder, waiting for a parent to pick up a morsel and put it in those gaping mouths - first one baby, then another.  A family of finches are hitting the other feeders.  One parent will be out with three babies following them from one perch to another, screeching to be fed.  It's quite a show.

And then there are the squirrels.  They obviously have babies, too.  I have seen three (or maybe four) at one time.  One will get up on the deck railing, and check to see if I'm watching.  If I holler at him, he'll jump to the tree, go to the ground, and then come up the outside edge of the deck and peek over to see if I'm watching.  I'll start to get up, and he'll run off again.  Then he gets on the steps and peeks up over the floor of the deck.  When I get up, he'll run off again, but not very far.  If I get the hose, and spray, they'll take off running up the sidewalk, out of sight.  Until the next time.  Once this evening, I actually got one or two of them with the hose - and they didn't come back.  Until tomorrow.  At least they're making me get some exercise.