Creatures We Encounter - Episode XIV

What I love about these posts I call Creatures We Encounter is that for the most part the animals we observe are in or around our own yard. Have I ever mentioned we live in a suburban area? We could walk to the grocery store, an arcade, and an office supply store. Five restaurants are under a half mile from our home. It is suburban sprawl, which I never thought was ideal for finding fascinating creatures. I'm happy to be wrong.

Just the other day, one of my daughters and I sighted this bird from our dining room window. We quickly pulled out the binoculars and settled in to observe and possibly identify it.

We hoped the half dozen neighboring houses weren't watching us, because as we pointed the binoculars toward the trees above their houses, it completely looked like we were snooping and not bird watching...especially when I darted out the back door, pointed my camera in the direction of their houses, and snapped a few pictures of the bird.