FLOWERS BIRDS and SQUIRRELS

This week was sunny and I spent some time in the back garden with my camera enjoying photographing flowers I also had a siesta after lunch lieing down on my swinging sofa, with my camera close at hand, and I surrepititiously took quite a few photos of the birds and squirrels that frequent my balcony. 

This will be my last post for a while because early next week I am finally going to have the cataract surgery I desparately need. I will be operated on both eyes, which I found to be unusual, but the doctor said it had become common practice  these days.

I have no idea how long it will take for me to recover but should it take longer than a few weeks, you will know the reason why, now back to my post.

The Mountain Laurel will soon be in full flower, but is pretty in bud.

She has seen me but feels fairly safe because I'm lieing down at the other end of

the balcony and squirrels are bolder than most other visitors anyway.

The lizard eats the tiny crumbs on the balcony floor.

I am delighted that the robin is still feeding it's chicks with mealworm.

The Great-spotted Woodpecker is very cautious and shy, and as I don't want it to 

stop coming to my balcony I would rather watch it whilst hiding than risk it flying away if it sees me or my camera move. I managed to take this photo but as it moved onto my balcony, I left it alone.

I never knew until this year that the blackbird picks up a peanut in it's shell 

from the ledge where I place them in a row for the Jays, and flies away with it. I have seen this happen twice, and been amazed as the blackbird usually eats crumbs from the ground where I deliberately sprinkle them especially for the blackbird.

I will be linking up with Eileen at "Saturday's Critters," a fun place to visit if you love all creatures great and small. Just click on the icon , and it will take you there.

THE RED SQUIRREL_

The Red Squirrel and the not so red ones visit my balcony every day. They eat all the different kinds of food I place at the feeding station. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at my restaurant. It's strange but even the birds eat at regular intervals just like we do. After breakfast there's a lull until lunch, and I forgot about tea time when they start to appear again, then another lull until the sun starts going down, when they fly in for their last meal of the day. Today I have a few squirrel photos to share with you.

I will be linking up to Saturday's Critters.

OLD FAVOURITES:

More birds are visiting my balcony, not new ones, but old favourites that I haven't seen for a while and my regular ones come more often, now that they are feeding their chicks but they don't stay long, just long enough to fly in and out with food. 

It was such a lovely surprise to see the Great-Spotted Woodpecker again.

I am very pleased that the robin is eating the mealworms and feeding it's chicks with them.

I will be linking up with "Wild Bird Wednesday" and "Saturday's Critters".

 Today I would like to share the flowers in my front garden because everytng is in   full bloom and the light showers have not damaged the fragile petals as it did last year when heavy rainfall caused the petals to fall to the ground. One of my favourite sites is the  Wisteria  Here they are. Enjoy!

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This photo was taken from my balcony.