<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div> House Finches filled a good share of the perches on the yard's feeders. A male Purple Finch shone as brightly as a red maple leaf on this rainy day.</div><div> The ground moved in White-throated Sparrows, their plaintive whistles evoking memories of past Octobers. Juncos were here and there, wherever they could find proper footing to do the dance of a chicken.</div><div> Flickers hit the ground a-hammering. Information from State Farm insurance said a Minnesota driver has a 1 in 64 chance of colliding with an animal. The most likely time is Oct., Nov. and Dec. when deer spend too much time crossing roads.</div><div> My immediate concern was that a flicker didn't collide with a window of my house. It's happened before. I do what I can to prevent such sad occurrences.</div><br><div dir="ltr">Al Batt </div><div dir="ltr">Freeborn County<div><br><div><h1 class="quoteText" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: 17.33333396911621px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“If you judge people, you don't have time to love them.”--Mother Teresa</span></h1></div></div><div><a href="http://twitter.com/batt_allen">http://twitter.com/batt_allen</a></div></div></body></html>