Creatures of the Grotto

Earlier this summer, I built a waterfall for my garden pond. Almost immediately, it became a traffic hub for a variety of birds (and even a few mammals) in the neighborhood. Here are a few of the critters we’ve been able to photograph.

A pair of mallards missed the canal, so hung out in our backyard for 2 days.
Here’s Mrs. Mallard hiding in the reeds.
Robins are frequent guests (although not at the time of writing this post, since they are on nests at the moment).
Mourning doves are hard to photograph because they blend in with the color of the fieldstone.
The baltimore oriole frequents the grotto daily and has been taking advantage of our jelly feeder placed nearby.
The grackles take many baths, and they are fairly dramatic in doing so.
I’m not sure if the flicker is camera shy or showing off his beautiful plumage.
This chipping sparrow is trying out one of the many hiding spots I tried to include in the grotto.
A chipmunk or two are crawling through the grotto caves as well.
We haven’t seen bluejays at the grotto for a while now, but they enjoyed baths before establishing their nests.

One thought on “Creatures of the Grotto

  1. Looks like your yard has become a hang-out for the local wildlife. The pond and waterfall really worked out well for you.

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