Birds are attempting a nest outside my back door. Every time I reach for the handle they fly away so fast I can't tell what kind. Nor can I tell from their guano. Not seagulls, not robins. Not sure what else.

For the past few years my neighbour has been putting bird seed out, usually atop a fence protecting her apple tree. As a result, there are now many different kinds of birds in our backyards, and I like that. Not only birds, but squirrels and chipmunks too.

Yesterday, while glancing out my kitchen window, I saw a coyote, a raccoon and a skunk within forty feet of each other. All these animals are familiar to us. But to see them together, even for a second.