I heard him before I saw him, chatting to no one or everyone.  He was feasting on the berries that are beginning to ripen in the tree just beyond my back fence.  It’s a popular feasting spot when the berries begin to turn from red to almost black.  I’ve never bothered to figure out what kind of tree it is.  But there are two of them and they draw birds and squirrels by the dozens.  It was Saturday brunch for this little guy.

Squirrel brunch

He was quite vocal as he munched.  Then her ran across the top of my picket fence and into the maple tree at the other end of the garden, chattering the whole way.  I don’t know if he was scolding me or registering his appreciation for the fruit feast.

He ran back over the top of the fence again, hop onto the dutchman’s pipe support, leaped to the garage roof next door, leaped back onto the support, and hopped over to the fruit tree again where he happily began nibbling away.

He wasn’t the only brunch guest in the garden this morning.  I don’t know whether this fly was drinking the water that collected on the Lady’s Mantle blooms or whether there was nectar.  But the fly didn’t budge when I took this picture.

Fly on Lady's Mantle

I wish I had straightened the camera better when I took this picture of the garden lady’s reflection in the garage window.  I’ll have to play with this idea a bit more.  But here’s a taste of what I’m trying to do.

Lady in the window