Wilbur, the soccer-playing pig.
A polar bear mama and her cubs.
It snowed here last Friday. On the left, below: chickadee butt. On the right: red-bellied woodpecker profile.
And it snowed again on Tuesday. Behold, the mighty pileated woodpecker!
Smokey said that when the pileated guy landed at the right-hand end of the railing, it seemed like it was standing there with its metaphorical hands on its metaphorical hips, saying, “WTF is all this white sh!t in my way?” Then it leaned over and used its beak to sweep away a couple inches of snow, marched forward, rinse and repeat until it got to the suet feeder.
kmkat & her kneedles 
What GREAT shots of the pileated! (I hope he doesn’t take an interest in your deck railing someday.) We have them up at our cottage (and nearby in the neighborhood, too — I hear them sometimes, but have never seen them) — and I can never seem to get a clear photo! (And I’m so sorry about the snow. . . ) XO
My condolences on the snow…
Love the pileated pics! How wonderful that he posed for you!
And I loved reading about the hedgehog highway!
I love the hedgehog highway! Also the snow leopard. 🙂
I have no idea if this is early for snow, or if it’s normal. However, I personally do welcome the signs of the changing season. I want an excuse to curl up with a blanket and tea and a book so I can hide from the world.