Bird-hunting

I am having so much fun stalking birds with Mr. Lumix' zoom capabilities! Of course, I take hundreds of photos to get a few worth sharing, but that's the lot of every photographer. I'm usually shooting through double-paned windows, too, which isn't great for optimum clarity. But I wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in you-know-where of capturing some of the more skittish varieties (like jays) without hiding behind a wall and sneaking just my camera out far enough to "see" the birds on our deck, feeder, or the cherry tree outside our bedroom window. I took the following yesterday, when we were still getting occasional snow flurries:

Rufous-sided towhees are usually ground feeders, but the snow is making them seek out the feeder on the deck railing. (And no, it doesn't have a big white spot on its throat; that's a rude little snowflake marring an otherwise sharp photo!)

Can you tell a young boy lives here?

This afternoon when I let Jackson out, he set up a ruckus along the fenceline beside our house. Brian was out playing in the snow and went to investigate, and alerted us all to the cause of Jackson's consternation:
This is the first time we've seen a porcupine around here. I was very thankful it was on the OTHER side of the fence! I hope this finds each of you counting your blessings as well.

Happy Thanksgiving from . . .