Ground Squirrel

At the checkout:

"See any critters today?"

"A flight of Mallards....three Bandtail Pidgeons....an Ouzel singing.....Oh...and a pic and clip of a Ground Squirrel."

The Ground Squirrel pics and clip...taking them...were something of a sensation...insomuch as passerbys were impressed by the new camera..."How many acorns that set you back!??"...and impressed too by Ground Squirrel posing...they do that a lot...the Tourists' favorite...

I made one quick sojourn over to the Post Office and to take care of an errand (food safety class)..then back for a nap...then out to Creek's End....watched the sunset...well...it's behind me...but on Half Dome!...this is the quietest time...critter wise...I think...I'm curious to see if I can spot some new birds...migrating through...thought that when I saw the Bandtails in the Deer House Oaks...actually they were drinking from the Creek when I got to the Riprap...missed pic!...they may have come down from the High Country...the Mallards were cool...I'd just started scanning about with the binocs...and turned to look up towards Chapel Bridge from Owl Log (no whooo)....and they were like a small dark cloud in the dusk over the river...at least a dozen....they came by in a hurry and off downstream over Half Stump...wondered if they just kept on going down to the Central Valley....by the by there's a wildlife preserve about eight miles out and eight miles over from Merced...it's been there awhile and was made to keep the Ducks from invading the farmlands..."All around it our little hunter's huts..."....there's not much point to sport hunting, I'd say....photog friend gave it up for photography...says "it's harder to take a good picture"....and more rewarding to pin up on the wall!, I'd say!