Diary 8/1/12

As I worked in the garden yesterday, there were birds and squirrels all around me making a variety of noises.  The main bird cry I could hear was that of the Woody Woodpecker character model, the Pileated Woodpecker.  He is a large guy, maybe 24 inches tall, with the distinctive red head and obnoxious cry that echos a long way through the forest.  They will come to the ground to feed this time of year when the Oregon Grape plant's berries ripen.  I will see them again when the Dogwood trees have their red berries ready in late September.  The other noisy forest friend, was a grey squirrel.  He was working over the pine cones in a Ponderosa Pine at the bottom of the garden.  He will not quit that tree until every cone has been eaten, separating the cone from the tiny seed that waits at the tip of each section.  His debris at the bottom of the tree is evidence of his hard work. There are many pine trees, but there are many squirrels, so they keep the pine population at bay.