Thankful for God's Critters

Each week I try to think ahead of what I am thankful for and this week I enjoyed the critters in our yard so much I decided to be Thankful for Critters. Upon my decison I tried and tried and tried to take some good photos for my postings, but currently this is all I could get. I will continue to try to capture a photo of my critters!!!
We have a fenced in yard and therefore, my dogs are contained, so the squirrels and birds are safe just outside the fence. Oh, what joy to watch them eat at my feeders and play with each other.
I have always enjoyed birds and moving to Oregon has enchanced my bird watching. I am slowly learning to identify the Flicker, Dove, Quail, Chickadee, Juno, Western Bluebird, and others. They fly back and forth playing with each other and at times they seems to bicker over grains or places to land. I have several kinds of bird feeders and so different kinds of birds come to the each feeding station. I have no favorites,except the Quail. Their little top-knot bounces with each stride they take.
The birds are entertaining, but the gray squirrels are just a delight to watch. We now have two gray squirrels and some small Douglas squirrels. The gray squirrels are larger and easier to spot. They frolic from the feeder to tree to ground and do it over and over. They chase one another and seems to be in a world all their own. After thinking about that, why not. Their needs are met. Water in birds bath. Food in nature around them and extra food in feeders, plus lots of lodgepole pines and Ponderosas to climb in. I find my worries floating away when I take the time to watch and enjoy their presence. I have no doubt the God created these critters just for us to observe, enjoy, and make our minds turn back to him.